


When we were young

by The7strange



Category: Skip Beat!
Genre: Age changes, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Friendship/Love, Healing, Little, Magic, Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-05
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-05-18 11:53:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 49,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14852252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The7strange/pseuds/The7strange
Summary: Maria has been feeling a bit lonely while Ren and Kyoko have been busy with the Heel siblings. When she makes a wish that they could play together freely, unexpected magic transforms them into the same age as the young Takarada. With their lives turned upside down and their careers at stake, how will they return to their rightful age?





	1. Careful What you Wish for

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little idea I came up with while goofing off the other day. Let me know what you think.  
> This is my first fan-fiction, but I'm perfectly open to critique and criticism. Writing isn't meant to be an easy art after all.
> 
> Skip Beat and characters obviously belong to Nakamura Yoshiki.

Maria Takarada held in a sigh, taking deep breaths and letting them out slowly instead. She would not allow her happiness to escape so easily. Even so… she was bored, and a bit lonely. Ren-san and big sister had both been quite absent as of late. The young girl understood that they were busy. Adults were always busy with something, especially in the entertainment industry. She understood very well but… she couldn’t help missing her two favorite people. Grandfather had offered to help her past the boredom with dress-up and games like he always did, and she had actually considered it for a moment! Would she become a strange love-monster as well if this boredom continued?! Maria quickly shook her head and desperately opened her cabinets full of magic items. She would practice her arts some more! That’ll get her mind off of her boredom and loneliness for sure!

Running over to the bookshelf, she quickly pulled out some of her favorites. Potions, spells, enchantments, books she had accumulated over the years to help her work on her magic. Her favorites, however, were somewhat old and worn books her grandfather had procured for her reading pleasure some year or two ago. Their somewhat rugged appearance and hand-written contents gave them a somewhat more authentic look. Some would claim that it was an elaborate piece made to fool others, but Maria wasn’t about to doubt the magic she could feel in it.

She passed the time by making all kinds of potions and drawing the diagrams sketched in one of the heavy journals. Lunch demanded a short break, and grandpa Lory gleefully ate with her, but she refused to be distracted from her work until supper time. Grandfather had set out to do something around that time, so she had desperately wanted to fill the room with some noise. She found herself thinking about wanting to see big sister again, as well as Ren-san. The sigh escaped her before she could stop it this time and she gasped as soon as she noticed what she had done. She shook her head quickly and ran over to the shelves near the television, scanning them quickly. Love films, love films, love show, an entire shelf of love games, ugh!

“Grandfather really needs to expand his interests.” She grumbled in annoyance before she paused. Was that… it is! She happily pulled up a stool and stretched up, grabbing the case marked ‘Dark Moon’, flipping it open and putting it into the player as quickly as she could. Dinner was so much more pleasant while watching Ren and Kyoko acting against one another. She had chills and felt giddy, getting absorbed as she ate her meal. The disk soon reached its end and she begrudgingly put it away, trudging back to her room in silence. What was grandfather even doing? He rarely stayed out so late. Maria let out a groan as she sat at the desk with her journals again. She was even lonelier now. She flipped through the thin, silk-like pages idly as her mind wandered. She would go to the agency with grandfather tomorrow morning. Maybe big sister or Ren would be there! Looking up at her large windows, she could see a few stars in the sky. It really was getting late…. Maria rested her chin on her crossed arms set over the open book, only mildly thoughtful of how it would strain the pages and spine. She just… couldn’t bring herself to be overly concerned with it at the moment. Instead, she dreamed of spending time with some of her favorite people. “I wish we could play more. If only they were as little as me. Then we could play all day.” She mumbled sadly as she fell asleep.

 

XoX XoX XoX XoX

 

Kyoko woke to her alarm going off, yawning and slowly getting out of bed… before she tripped on her own night clothes and tumbled to the floor. She let out a groan and rubbed her head, feeling like she was incredibly off balance for some reason. Actually, before that, why were her clothes suddenly so big? She looked down at herself and gasped, finding little hands and feet.

“What happened to- gasp!” she covered her mouth quickly. Her voice! She sounded like a little kid! She struggled to get up, abandoning her sleep shorts in favor of running to her makeup bag, pulling out a little compact mirror to look at her face. She stared back at herself with shock. She had the rounded face of a young girl, maybe seven or eight, her black hair falling a little past her shoulders. “What… happened to me?” she finally managed to get out. This was a disaster. She was a tiny child. How would she explain this to the restaurant owners? How would she explain this to her acting jobs?! “Oh no! Oh no oh no oh no no no no nooooo!” she cried, holding her head as she shook it wildly. How had this happened? Did she piss off some evil spirit or something? She couldn’t recall doing anything recently…. Was this a delayed backlash of kissing the fairy prince?! “Ahhh!!!!” she went back to shaking her head wildly as she recalled her time with Corn in Guam. It was because her heart belonged to another, wasn’t it? Now she was cursed because of her fickle feelings while trying to break such a powerful curse set upon such an important magical person! She suddenly had an idea and rushed to her precious things, opening the tiny purse and pulling out Corn’s blue stone.

“Corn, I’ve been cursed! Save me, Corn! Please lift this dreadful curse from me!” she held up the stone to the light coming in from her window, watching the magic filter through it… but nothing happened to her. She was still little. Tears pooled in her eyes as she started to resign herself. She had just gotten that new role as Momiji, but now she was in no state to act anything but a tiny child! “How could this have happened!!!” she cried in despair, burying her face in her hands.

“Kyoko dear, are you alright?” The Okami-san’s voice came from the other side of the door and Kyoko froze. What was she to do? She couldn’t bother the owners with this strange new problem, but what else could she do? Sniffling, she stood up and adjusted her night shirt, now closer to a night gown, before padding over to the door. The doorknob was only a minor problem, but child Kyoko managed and peeked out at a very confused older woman. “Kyoko?” she called again with uncertainty, lightly pressing on the door that had simply cracked open.

“O-Okami-san, I’m down here.” She called up nervously. The woman looked down and startled, blinking at the sight of a small child staring up at her.

“Oh! Oh my. And, who are you?” she asked, softly sitting down in front of Kyoko as she attempted to figure out where this child came from.

“Okami-san, it’s me. It’s Mogami Kyoko. I… I don’t know what’s happened, but for some reason I woke up as a little kid. Please believe me.” Her eyes started to water again as the woman looked at her with shock.

“I…,” the woman paused to look around the room, as if unsure if she should believe a teenage girl could age down to a child overnight. Her eyes took in the discarded bottoms and the oversized top still on Kyoko before noticing the little purse she was clutching to her chest protectively. The child… certainly LOOKED like Kyoko, and that little purse looked oddly familiar… “I came up because there’s a man here claiming to be your manager.” She says slowly, apparently deciding to accept the explanation for the time being. Kyoko gasped and stomped about in circles as she tugged her hair.  
“Yashiro-san! Oh no, how am I supposed to explain this? Nnnnn…! Fine, I’ll just have to do my best!” The Okami watched with wonder and fascination as the child ran to the stairs and quickly reversed before clinging to the wall as she carefully descended, breaking out into a run once she reached the bottom. She spotted Yashiro instantly, talking pleasantly to the Toshio as he explained that he would be in charge of looking out for her. “Yoshirooo-saaan!” she ran over quickly, stopping before him and waving her arms as she made sure she would get his attention.

“Oh, hello there little one. Um… you know my name?”

“Yashiro-san, it’s Kyoko! I’m Kyoko, but I woke up small. Please help me!” she begged. The man looked down at her with shock… noticing the big amber eyes of his charge gazing up at him.

“You… really are Kyoko-chan, aren’t you?” he asked incredulously. Kyoko nodded with enthusiasm as Yashiro scratched his head. This was… quite the predicament. Just then, Yashiro’s phone rang and he quickly put on his gloves before pulling it out, pausing to look at the caller id before answering. He barely got out his greeting before the president cut to the chase.

“I need you to loosen up Ren’s schedule for a while. There’s… he’s a bit unwell at the moment.”


	2. The Mischief of Fairies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyoko is cute, and Ren is awkward. Everyone still belongs to Nakamura Yoshiki.

“Ren is sick? I know he can be stubborn, but wouldn’t it be better to clear his schedule completely?” Yashiro reasoned. Kyoko gazed up at the man with worry filling her wide eyes. Tsuruga-san was sick? Could the timing of this curse be any worse?! She looked down at her hands, feeling so helpless… incapable… weak. She clutched her little purse tighter to herself, desperately calling out to Corn. She was a child again, so the magic should react to her more easily or something, right?

‘Please… Please help me, Corn.’ She thinks desperately, squeezing her eyes shut as she begged whatever magical forces to make things right again.

“-That is to say… I’ll need to clear Kyoko-chan’s schedule as well.” Yashiro said with a heavy sigh, looking down at her. Kyoko peeked up at him at the mention of her name. “No, she’s… I don’t think I can call it being sick. Right now, I’m looking at a little child Kyoko.” There was a pause before Yashiro frowned lightly and knelt onto the floor in front of her. “Kyoko-chan, would you like to help me send a photo to the president?” he coaxed. She felt a little peeved at being talked to in that soft tone reserved for children, even if she was one at the moment. It was only her physical appearance, though! She still had her memories and her older mind! Maybe… that was why the magic wasn’t working for her? Well... she supposed there was no way of helping how she was viewed as a child for the time being. She looked down at her Corn stone purse, nodding quietly before coming over and taking a quick selfie with Yashiro-san. The manager quickly sent it to the president, a beeping noise coming from the speaker followed by a deep hum.

“It looks like we have a very strange couple of situations on our hands, Yashiro. I’m preparing something already, but this is quite perplexing. Can I speak to her?”

“I… I’m here, president.” Kyoko spoke up nervously, gently accepting the phone as it was held out for her.

“Good, good, I just need to ask you a couple questions, seeing as Ren has been entirely unhelpful.”

“Hey! I told you what I knew!” a young boy called in the background, sounding a bit insulted. Kyoko’s eyes bugged as things started to come together in her mind. The president ignored the protests and continued.

“Kyoko, have you and Ren drank or anything out of the ordinary as of late? Any… pain medication or perhaps used a new perfume? It would most likely be something while you two were together.”

“No, I… I don’t believe so. Tsuruga-san and I have hardly had much time around one another for the past several days. It’s mostly just been passing greetings and such.” With Yashiro being able to drive her now, she hadn’t even had to ask for rides, and he hadn’t needed to offer.

“I see, so it doesn’t seem to be something done physically. Maybe a spell?” Yashiro gaped at the muttered musings of the president. Was this man seriously suspecting magic? Wait… no, how else would you explain someone turning into a child overnight… and from the sounds of it, Ren was in a similar predicament. Was this perhaps divine intervention? He was brought out of his excited mental state by the president’s voice calling him. “In any case, the best course right now would be for you to bring Kyoko here. I doubt she has clothes fitting for her current state, and we’ll have better chances of figuring this out if we gather everyone together.” The call was soon ended and Yashiro went to explain to the landlords that he would be taking Kyoko to get help and sorted out at her agency. They seemed a bit reluctant, but ultimately agreed that it was best, if nothing else than to get some proper clothes until this whole thing blew over.

Outside, Kyoko determinedly marched to the car, all the while processing all that was happening. Tsuruga was also reverted to a child? Just like her? Was this not really the curse backlashing at her? Or… Corn had so simply stated that he loved her; was this him getting back at her for not believing her? No… Corn wasn’t such a spiteful person. He wouldn’t do that. Did the curse seek out Tsuruga, then? Or was this unrelated to Corn at all?

“Uh, Kyoko-can… I think you should maybe sit in the back seat, where it’s safer.” Yashiro suggested, pulling her out of her reverie. She paused, looking up from where she had pulled open the front passenger door before pushing it shut again. Too soft, it didn’t shut all the way. A bit annoyed at how different everything felt and looked, she yanked the door open and shut it with a bit more force than needed this time. Yashiro looked at her with pity as he opened the door to the back seat for her. She glared at the ground as she crawled in and buckled up, huffing and crossing her arms. Being half her usual size was frustrating and annoying.

 

The ride to the LME building was quiet, Yashiro unsure of what he could say to comfort the child, and Kyoko having her mind too mixed up to worry about conversation at the moment. Tsuruga-san was also a child. He would be small like her, so at least she had a companion in this. And… she would get to see what he looked like when he was a child! The though made her just a little excited about the predicament. This was definitely throwing a curveball into their daily lives, as well as their careers, but they had the president helping. Things would surely work out with him on their side, right?

Yashiro snuck Kyoko in by parking on the top floor of the garage, then carrying her up the stairs so as to avoid high traffic areas. He needed to figure out the cover story from the president before anyone saw his charges, especially while Kyoko was still wearing a shirt as a makeshift night gown. Ruto (dubbed Sebastion-san by Kyoko) was already at the door and opening it upon their arrival, following them in and shutting it securely once everyone was inside the office. The president was dressed in large draping robes today, the sleeves tied up with silk ropes as he poured over several books and documents, a chemistry lab laid out behind him with kami-knows what kind of concoctions. He looked up at the sound of the door shutting, his eyes instantly falling on the small girl at Yashiro’s side. She had been insistent on not being held unless absolutely necessary.

“Kyoko!” he called happily, his face instantly brightening upon seeing her, “Oh, you’re so cute and small now!” the gleeful look on his face slid to his sitting area, shifting into a smirk as a young boy peaked from behind the couch back. Miss Jelly Woods clicked her tongue and placed her hands on her hips next to the couch, apparently halted in her attempt at styling the thick blown locks.

“Ren-san, you should know better than to move by now!” she scolded, but he was too focused on staring at the little eight-year-old Kyoko looking back at him with those big amber eyes.

“Leave him be for now,” Lory stated, waving away the petite woman’s frustration, “We should get Kyoko-chan some proper clothes.” Jelly’s eyes riveted onto Kyoko before a gleam sparked in her eyes. Kyoko hardly had a chance to let out a surprised squeal before she was being rushed into a large room full of costumes and clothes, many of them familiar from the president’s antics. 

XoX XoX XoX XoX

Left in the main office, Ren found himself peering up unhappily at a grinning Yashiro Yukihito.

"So it's true, Ren is reduced to being a little child just like Kyoko-chan." he teased. Ren frowned lightly before pulling up the script he had been reading while waiting for a solution to this problem.

"I'm not really in the mood to play with you, Yukihito-san." he states with a cute pout on his face. Yashiro feigned hurt.

"How rude, and here I was thinking that you were actually quite cute as a kid!" he claims. Ren sighed and tried to bury himself in the script again.

XoX XoX XoX XoX

The witch quickly lead Kyoko to a section with little girl’s clothes, holding up this and that and asking Kyoko about her preferences, giving input of her own, then continuing the cycle until there was a case full of things Kyoko could wear.

“Darling said you probably won’t be needing to worry about a lot of options, but I say to always be prepared!”

“Does the president already know how to reverse this?” Kyoko asked with surprise and hope… though she was a little sad she hadn’t gotten to spend a lot of time with a child Tsuruga-san. It was for the best, though. Their careers were at stake, after all. Jelly shook her head as she smoothed out the dress Kyoko was currently wearing and began pulling her hair up in a cute little ponytail with a bow. It was clear that the woman was enjoying dressing her up like this.

“I have confidence that he’ll find a solution, though. He’s probably a bit rusty in these things, but he does know a thing or two about spells, magic, and curses.” She says. Kyoko could hardly believe her ears. The president was well-versed in magic? All this time?... Was that where his eccentric nature came from? She was pretty sure there were stories of how magic made humans lose their minds or something.  
Kyoko pondered about this as she was lead back into the main room of the office and guided to sit on one of the chairs. Looking up, she saw young Ren Tsuruga lounging on the couch across from her, staring from over what looked to be a script. Kyoko giggled at how much it was just like him to keep working even in this state. His brown eyes widened and he quickly pulled the script up again, burring his face in it a bit more than needed. Was he shy? Kyoko tilted her head curiously and kicked her legs out idly to let them swing off the edge of her chair.

“Tsuruga-san?” She called out to him timidly. He peaked out again, but he didn’t really answer her. Why was he being so quiet? She worried momentarily that he already suspected this was her fault. As far as they knew, they were the only two people in this predicament. She bit her lip and looked down and her hands. It probably was her fault. Tsuruga-san seemed to steer clear of magic for the most part, but she immersed herself in it completely and continuously. Should she apologize? But then if would definitely confirm that this was her fault and he might hate her for messing things up in his career. Her vision swam at the thought and she realized that she was getting emotional easier than usual. Even with that awareness, she couldn’t bring her body to stop making her eyes so wet. There was rustling and quick footsteps before smooth hands clasped her own almost urgently.

“Ky… M-Mogami-san, wha-…. What’s wrong?” the boy asked nervously, his voice shaky at first and then oddly changing octave midway through his sentence. Was his voice cracking? But… that didn’t start until boys were older… right? Kyoko shook away the thoughts and wiped an arm over her eyes in an attempt to dry them.

“I… I think this is because of Corn.” She whimpered out. Ren stared at her, baffled at first, but slowly coming up with what he thought her thought process might be. He cleared his throat and tried to reassure her while maintaining the deeper voice he was trying to use in this situation. He didn’t know for sure if she would recognize Corn’s voice, but he wasn’t really willing to take that risk at the moment.

“Corn… wouldn’t do something like that, right? Fairies are mischievous, but Corn isn’t the kind to cause you distress like this, right? And besides, what would be the purpose of also putting me in this state?” he tried to reassure her, but for some reason the tears started to well up in her eyes again. Ren didn’t know what to say anymore, so he hugged her. They were kids right now, so it was fine to do these things, right? He felt like his problem solving and story-making had been shrunk a bit with his body. He felt so unsure when he was small like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always enjoyed the thought of actual magic in the Skip Beat universe. The series gives enough hints of it that I feel it's still somewhat plausible. You have a girl wielding tiny grudge demons and a manager who miraculously short-circuits electronics in 10 seconds, not to mention the supernatural abilities of Reino.  
> I considered having Maria be the one to help them return to normal, but then I thought "magic probably runs in the family" and it just fit better for Lory to take control of a magical situation while Maria is probably still young enough that she would get caught up in playing instead. Lory would have a bit more experience too, though i'm sure his favorite kind of magic is and always will be "The magic of Love" or something like that.


	3. Everything is Temporary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nakamura Yoshiki is the rightful owner of all Skip Beat characters.

Ren was at a loss. He tried reasoning that This couldn’t be caused by Corn, as the fairy had no reason to do so, but that didn’t seem to help at all. He sat next to the sniffling girl, racking his brain for a way to make her feel better. He couldn’t tell her to use the corn stone if she thought the fairy in question was behind this.

“If this is the result of fairy mischief, then I’m glad we’re getting through it together instead of alone.” Ren finally stated, wanting to show the bright side of things. Kyoko gave another sniffle as she looked to him with watery eyes.

“But... I shouldn’t drag you into my magical burden.” She whimpered. Ren couldn’t help but laugh.

“I really don’t think this is something you caused, Mogami-san.” He tells her. She looked unsure, but at least she cheered up a bit.

“For someone who doesn’t mess with magical dealings often, you’re surprisingly calm about all of this.” She notes. Always the mature one; she supposed she should have expected him to be the kind of person to take anything in stride. Young Ren looked down at his lap quietly.

“Well... it just seems that way because I’ve been awake for a while now. I feel a bit embarrassed to admit that I freaked out a bit when I first woke up.”

“Acting like there was some natural disaster is more like it.” The president interjected. Ren frowned up at the man to show his dissatisfaction at the jab, but the president ignored it and held out a small vile with a tiny label that said ‘drink me’, reminiscent of a certain rabbit-hole fantasy. Ren eyed the concoction wearily.

“Is it safe?” Young Ren asked, sounding like someone that was being peer pressured into taking some new drug. That might be what this exact situation was, now that he thought about it. The president huffed lightly.

“Please, I would never give you something harmful. I even had Ruto double-check all my work just to make sure I didn’t miss anything. This is only a temporary solution though, and it can only suppress whatever magic this is for so long before you’ll be transformed into a child again. With that in mind, your schedule will be kept tight and short but it’s better than you two simply disappearing without explanation. Yuki and Ruto are currently ensuring that your schedules are set up properly for the next several days. Today will be the hardest, but I have the utmost confidence in you two and your abilities.” He says as he hands a second vile to Kyoko. The two eight-year-olds looked down at their respective potions, both trying to map out how this would all work. “We don't know all the effects of this spell and the magic suppressant, but you probably shouldn’t drive Ren. Either Yuki or Ruto will make sure you get to and from each of your locations without any trouble, and spare clothes will be kept on hand for both of you with them.” He explains, sitting in one of the chairs and watching the two children curiously.

“President, I already said that having your assistant around would draw unwanted attention.” Ren reminded him. Lory shook his head with a chuckle.

“He won’t be following you around, just acting as a driver occasionally. We'll try to use him as little as possible, though.” Ren still didn’t seem entirely comfortable with the idea, but he couldn’t think of a better plan at the moment. Giving a single hesitant nod, he relented.

XoX XoX XoX XoX

Maria was worried, pouting with uncertainty at her tea that had already grown cold a long while ago. Ren-sama had called fairly early in the morning. Grandfather had been so concerned about whatever news Ren had, and while she couldn't really hear the words, his tone sounded quite distressed. Was he in trouble? Was he hurt? Grandfather had sent his assistant to go fetch him, but she hadn't been able to see him yet. She was pretty sure the two of them were in the head office, but... she was worried about going to see for herself after she had been settled with a cup of tea in the company coffee shop. What if Ren was in some critical state and her entrance caused a distraction? No, maybe that was unlikely. If it was a major health issue, her grandfather would have sent him to the hospital, or at least called a doctor right away. She fiddled with the cup thoughtfully. He had to be picked up, which meant he couldn't drive himself for some reason. Distressed... Maybe he woke up and he was blind?! That also seemed like a situation that would call for a hospital or doctor. Maybe he was in emotional distress? Ren-sama didn't talk about his personal life much, but perhaps he had a family member that was in an accident or passed away or something. She... she could deal with a crying Ren. At least he wouldn't be hurt or crippled or something. Maybe she could even offer to send prayers or something to his loved ones beyond the grave. She had a couple of books on it, she was sure. Happy with the conclusion that Ren was not actually harmed, she finally took a sip of the tea... making a face at the now stale and cold taste it offered. She gave a small apology to the tea she had failed to consume before abandoning it on the table.

The halls seemed to stretch on for forever as she made her way to her Grandfather's office, pushing the door open to find Yashiro and Grandfather's assistant busy on the phone. Yashiro had been acting as big sister's manager as of late, but she recalled that he did still work with Ren when he could. She spotted her Grandfather in his sitting area, smoking one of his cigars as an air purifier tirelessly kept the smoke contained. Approaching, she came to the realization that he was talking to someone she couldn't see.

"Just stay aware of yourself as best you can, and you should be fine. I'm sure a quick act of feeling sick or anemic will let you get away quickly if it seems like you'll be held past your limits." She reached the side of the couch and found herself looking at two children her own age. The girl was a little smaller than her, but not by much, black hair pulled up in a little ponytail and embellished with a bow. She was clutching what looked like a bottle of medicine, eagerly listening to Grandfather's words. Next to her sat a boy with dark brown hair, his eyes focused in his lap as he fiddled with his own medicine bottle. She was pretty sure she had never seen these kids before, but there was something strangely familiar about both of them. The conversation stopped and the girl looked over, amber eyes widening as they landed on Maria.

"M-Maria-chan!" she gasped before jumping down and running over while the boy looked over with shock and uncertainty. Maria took a step back from the slightly smaller girl, watching her excited face slowly turn into a slight pout. "You're taller than me now. This feels weird." she said. The cogs in her mind resisted for a moment before they clicked into alignment, clarity coming to her in a rushing wave.

"O-Onii-san?" she stammered out as Kyoko's face lit up.

"You can still recognize me? As expected of Maria-chan! Magic can't fool you." She giggled. Maria's eyes slid up to the couch where the boy looked like he was trying to find the way out of a very complicated maze.

"Ren-sama?" she asked hesitantly. His brown eyes snapped up to meet hers before he let a small smile pull at his lips, a little uncertain but unmistakably Ren's.

"Hello Maria-chan. Fancy meeting you like this." He tried to joke a little but the laugh quickly died after only two beats. Maria felt elated. Both her big sister AND Ren-sama were miraculously the same age as her! They could finally play together for long hours in the halls of LME, she could have them play her favorite games with her, maybe make dolls together... but something felt off, aside from this strange predicament of them suddenly being eight-year-olds of course. Big sister was a bit unsure about her new situation, but the really weird feelings were coming from Ren. He was being so withdrawn and unsure of himself. It wasn't like him. Before she could ask him about his strange shift in personality, Yashiro came over with a sigh of relief.

"Well, it wasn't exactly easy, but I think we managed to get things mostly sorted out. It was a bit last-minute and somewhat rushed, so people might get curious as to why we suddenly loosened up your schedules so much. The president said we could use him as an excuse, so if anyone asks about your sudden schedule changes, you say it was a demand from the president wanting you to keep to working outside the agency within a certain time limit for a while. Ah, good morning Mari-chan." he greets the new addition to their party. Maria respectfully greeted him back, but her mind was focused on the main topic the manger had brought up. Both of her now-child friends couldn't do their jobs as magically changed children. Was that why Ren was acting like that? It made sense now. He was sad that he couldn't go do his acting jobs, and she knew how passionate he was about acting, everyone at the agency did. It was like his life-blood.

"Can we play?" she asked quickly, already devising a plan to get his mind off the sadness. She had been wanting to play with both of them for so long now anyway. It was taking out two birds with one stone! Yashiro looked at her sympathetically.

"I'm sorry Maria-chan, but this afternoon might be a little hectic. We need to make sure the... potion," he looked to Lory uncertainly only to receive a nod, "that the president made will work properly, as well as figure out the general time limit it has in canceling out this magic before they each turn back into children. On top of that, Ren has his first appointment in a little over an hour, and Kyoko will be going to hers shortly after. They won't really be free until roughly six o'clock. Will that be okay?" he asks. Maria took in all the information, her eyes landing on the little medicine bottles for a moment before she nodded her understanding.

"Okay, six o'clock." she says happily. So Ren-sama and Onii-chan would still get to do the work they loved, if only just for a few hours each day. There was still plenty of time for them to play together afterward, too! Today was feeling really lucky.

XoX XoX XoX XoX

  
The plan was simple enough. They would go into the changing rooms, strip, and drank the magic-suppressant, then dress in their adult clothes and stash their child clothes in whatever bag was to be carried with them. Once everyone was ready, everyone would then head to where they were needed for whatever job. If there were any weird feelings during the day, it was crucial that they either ensure that it wasn't the potion wearing off, or get out quickly with the excuse of feeling unwell. If they managed to keep their adult form the whole time, then all the better. The time the potion was taken was to be recorded, as well as when it wore off and if they felt anything that might hint at it wearing off in the future. There were a lot of uncertainties, but neither one of them could simply take a whole day off without explanation. Kyoko was just glad that there was only a short script reading assigned for 'The Sacred Lotus in the Mire' today, a couple hours filming for Box R, followed by small love-me jobs back at the agency until their decided time-limit for the day was up. Ren had a bit more packed schedule, though thankfully it was still close to when he had finished his project as Actor X and he hadn't quite picked up a new project yet. He had two short shoots, and there was an application for a part that he wanted to submit, but he was mostly booked for interviews and modeling jobs during their time limit today.

Ren felt nervous as he headed into the private room. He trusted Lory, though he didn't encounter him a whole lot with his magical intentions. The man preferred to stick to his obsessions with 'the magic of love' after all. He eyed the bottle uncertainly before stripping down and opening it, shooting the potion back like a shot of tequila. The room span and he felt it was hard to breath, leaning against the wall as he held his head. Everything felt wobbly and his body started to ache like he had gone too hard at the gym. He slid to the floor and focused on his breathing, letting the sudden onslaught of symptoms slowly ease away. As the room finally settled down from all the moving, Ren looked down at himself and let out a deep sigh of relief. There was still a dull ache, mostly in his back and legs, but it was easily forgotten as he focused on dressing and making himself the image of 'Tsuruga Ren' he was supposed to be. The time was quickly logged along with a text to Yashiro that all was well before he headed to the small sink and mirror. He splashed water on his face and combed his hair into a proper style. Determined to make full use of what few precious hours he had been given today, he exited the changing room.

Kyoko inside her own dressing room instantly noticed that her hair didn't return to its chestnut brown when she took her potion-medicine. She frowned lightly at the mirror. It would likely be done for Momiji, but that wasn't asked of her. If they really wanted Momiji to have black hair, they would probably provide her with a wig. Possible needs for future black hair aside, she had to play as Natsu today. She quickly finished dressing before heading out of the dressing room, spotting Tsuruga-san as he exited his own room. She gave a happy little smile as she held back a giggle  
that threatened to rise up. They were basically sharing a little secret, right? It reminded her of when they went under-cover as the heal siblings. Ren smiled back before he tilted his head curiously. "Your hair stayed black." he noted with curiosity. 'That means mine is this way because of Miss Woods dying it this morning,' he concluded silently. Kyoko fiddled with the ends of her black hair, feeling a little shy at him commenting on her appearance. It was innocent and hardly noteworthy, but for some reason she still felt happy over it.

"Yeah, I don't really mind it either way, but I need to film as Natsu-san today...." she explains before trailing off. Ren watched her fondly as Jelly Woods rushed over, sweeping the girl away to the closet full of costume supplies and telling her that they could use a wig for now, then dye Kyoko's hair later when they had more time to treat it properly.

 

XoX XoX XoX XoX

 

Ren watched the world roll by as he sat in the front passenger seat of the car. There hadn't been any real complications today, though he did find himself occasionally struggling with his focus and a strong urge to move around more than usual. He found himself glad that the tighter schedule called for less breaks from him. Any time he was sitting for more than a few minutes, his body would tense and he would have to fight down a strange urge to pace or maybe stroll around the building. He quietly pondered how much easier it was to sit in the car. Was it because the world was moving past? Or maybe he was feeling calm because he was headed back to LME, where Kyoko was already waiting for him. Well, she wasn't necessarily waiting for him, but she was there, and they would be spending time together as they played whatever games with Maria.

"Sooooo...," Yashiro started to talk, drawing out his words a bit too much. Ren could already feel the teasing and such he would be bombarded with. "Kyoko-chan is pretty cute as a little kid. Were you surprised with how cute she was? I saw you staring at her a lot." the manager teased. Ren silently wondered at the humor of the situation. He had thought she was cute, sure, but it was a bit difficult to be surprised by something you had already seen before. No, the reason he had been able to stop from staring, was because it had been incredibly nostalgic, yet so jarringly different. She was two years older than she had been when they met all those years ago, and had grown so much in that short span apparently. He wished he had been able to see it. He wished he had been able to stick around as her childhood friend and watch her grow instead of that annoying selfish singer. He recalled that damned photograph the president had showed him about a week ago. His eyebrows scrunched together and he leaned his head against the window.

"That bastard didn't deserve to watch her grow up." he grumbled under his breath. He knew he was being childish again, but it was only Yashiro around now, and he had been quite well behaved all through his work. The manager was shocked for a moment before he found himself understanding Ren's mindset. He might not have an interest in the girl romantically (aside from wanting to get her and Ren together already!), but he still cared for the girl deeply. She could easily fall into the roll of a little sister or niece for him. He wanted to see both his charges happy, and wouldn't she have grown up so much happier with Ren by her side instead of Fuwa? Well..., except for his suspicions that Ren had been quite wild in his youth. Yashiro glanced over to Ren during a red light, trying to recall again what this man had looked like as a child. If he was to really describe it, his appearance had looked more mature even then. Maybe it was the way Miss Woods had styled his hair the same way as he kept it as an adult, but Ren hadn't really looked like a proper eight-year-old. He looked like a kid dressing up as a man. He supposed he wouldn't act the same way as he did when he was  _actually_ that young, but it was a little disappointing to think he wouldn't get to see how Ren acted at that age as well.

 

Maria was playing and joyfully talking to a younger Kyoko when she spotted her big sister's and Ren's manager.

"Ren is back!... huh?" she looked around with a frown when she realized one of her favored people were missing. Yashiro smiled and nodded toward the restrooms, already fully aware that Maria was looking for the taller man.

"He said he felt odd and headed to the restroom. I figured that it was probably about time sense you sent your time-log message a few minutes ago." he explains. So it had lasted a bit longer for Ren. While the three of them passed the time talking about the day, a figure walked past. More accurately, the figure of a young boy speed-walked past while tugging the hood of his jacket half-way down his face. "Wha- Ren! You went right past us!." Yashiro called before rushing over. The boy had paused at his name being called out, but he wasn't turning around and he was pulling his hood down further, his back hunching in his efforts to hide himself. "What are you doing? There's no reason to hide from us. Besides, we've all already seen your cute child-hood face." Yashiro teased as he reached out for the hood. Ren ducked and took several steps back from his manager's hand.

"DON'T LOOK AT ME!" he yelled, sounding panicked. He held his breath for a second before tugging the hood even harder, the fabric straining a bit uncomfortably while his hands quivered oh so slightly. Even in the shadow of the hood, they could see his lips curled and teeth clenched. He looked like a cornered animal trying to bare its fangs. "Please... Just, don't look at me right now." he said in a much softer voice before turning and running away as fast as he could. The trio stood there in silence for a moment, trying to process what had just happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fell asleep like three times writing this. I should really stop writing in the dark i suppose. >_>
> 
> I know you're allowed to write fanfiction in whatever way you see fit, but I still find myself wondering how fat i can take liberties before it starts to feel off. Firsts are difficult. I'm used to writing about magic and dragons galore, but I feel that immersing this particular story too heavily in magic would make it sag and fall apart like an overly-moist cake.
> 
> I wonder if it would be too much to explore a magical heritage in Kyoko and/or Ren....


	4. Looks aren't important....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magic is tricky, childhood is difficult.
> 
> Nakamura Yoshiki is still the owner of these incredible characters.

Yashiro looked down at the two baffled and concerned little girls.

"P-Puberty?" he offered when they looked up at him, questions in their eyes. Neither one of them looked convinced at his suggested explanation of Ren's odd behavior. Maria and Kyoko looked to one another instead, quickly coming to the conclusion that all of them were in the dark on this matter.

"Ren-sama went toward grandfather's office...." Maria stated, looking in the direction the boy had disappeared. It was somewhat obvious that the President would know what was going on with the man-turned-child.

"Tsuruga-san seemed like he really wanted to keep it private." Kyoko responded, looking down at the ground. She was torn. She really wanted to understand what was going on with him, but did that mean she should disregard his wishes and force her way? "I wonder if this is what the president meant when he said Tsuruga-san was acting like there was some natural disaster this morning." The three of them fell silent, immersed in thoughts of what could be wrong with Ren.

"Well, obviously it can't be that he's ugly. We already saw him this morning and Ren-sama was absolutely beautiful!" Maria supplied. Yashiro hummed and held his chin.

"What if he looked that way because he was wearing makeup? The president's costume assistant was with him from the start after all. Maybe she was called to make him look more presentable."

"Ren-sama could never be ugly!" Maria argue right away, stomping her foot in outrage that anyone could even _suggest_  such a thing.

"I'm not saying he looked ugly, but it's not uncommon for children to go through an awkward stage in their lives. Usually it happens when children are pre-teens and going through growth-spurts and puberty." Yashiro explained. Maria huffed and crossed her arms, showing that she absolutely would not accept this kind of explanation.

"Growth-spurts cause lanky limbs and stretch marks, not weird faces." The young Takarada was not enjoying the things this man was implying.

"Mo! What are you doing in the middle of the hallway?" Kotonami stood before them, eyeing the trio that were huddled and whispering amongst themselves with a grown man like Yashiro squatting to be more level with the two little girls. She rose her eyebrows as she noticed the new face. Was this a new friend of Maria's? She had been convinced the president's granddaughter was so protective of Ren that she would avoid companionship with girls all together. Kyoko had been an exception, but she really hadn't ever seen her with another friend during her time at LME. Then again, there weren't a lot of children around for the young girl to play with usually. Well whatever, it wasn't any concern of hers, though it did peeve her to see the manager doing something like squatting and gossiping with children in the middle of a public hallway. What had that been about Ren being ugly? He had a weird face as a child? No, that wasn't the point right now. Not only had he been acting as Kyoko's manager lately, he had plenty of experience from managing Tsuruga Ren! He should know how to keep up his professional image by now! "Stand up already. What kind of image are you trying to put on as a manger?" she huffed and tried to smooth her expression by running a hand through her hair. She had found him to be quite admirable in his abilities as a manger in the past interactions with him, but this scene was just too much for her to handle at the moment.

"Moko-san." Maria's friend whimpered and took a step toward her, causing the young woman to take a cautious step backward. What had she called her? No, where had this child heard that nickname? Only Kyoko... "Moko-san, I'm so happy to see you!" The little girl's big amber eyes teared up and Kotonami backed away quickly as little hands reached for her.

"A-anyway, I said what I wanted, so just keep in mind that your actions reflect Kyoko's image. See you!" With that, she quickly walked off, avoiding making eye contact with the little girl that was attempting to make puppy-dog eyes at her. She was almost reminiscent of what Kotonami could imagine a child Kyoko looking like! Maybe that was why Maria had befriended the girl? Or maybe this was a prank. Why was she being pranked all of a sudden? No, never mind, she wouldn't pay any mind to it. The more she thought about the scenario, the more successful the prank is, and she wasn't one to loose against something so easily.

XoX   XoX   XoX   XoX

 

Ren sat in front of the president dejectedly, his hood pulled back while the man hummed and stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"We can certainly use the wig from your time as Actor X when you go out, but a child's head is a bit smaller so it won't fit you in this state. It seems wasteful and damaging to dye it every day after you transform back. Hmm Hmm Hmmmm..." Lory supplied. Ren crossed his arms and scowled at his shoes.

"I don't care if I go bald. I just need to keep my cover."

"He really thinks like that, darling. It's horrible!" Jelly cried dramatically from the side. "I know it's supposed to be a secret that Ren isn't fully Japanese, but his manager and Kyoko-chan are trustworthy aren't they? I must protect his hair as much as possible!" she exclaimed. The president frowned uncertainly as he continued to stare at their current problem. The brown contacts didn't magically disappear or anything, thankfully, but hair die was attached enough to be effected by whatever magic this is. He wondered for a moment if piercings would be effected.

"Do you think Kyoko-chan would be willing to pierce her ears?" He spoke up, getting an odd look from both Jelly and Ren.

"President, shouldn't we focus on one thing at a time?" Ren asked, his voice dripping with disapproval and judgment on how easily Lory became side-tracked. The man waved the rude tone aside.

"The point is that it's a physical change that would be easily accepted. I suppose we could also experiment by dying your pinky toe or something." He was rewarded with a disapproving frown from the boy. Sighing, he decided to drop the option of exploring the full effects of these transformations for now. "Look, we can get a child's wig for you, but you'll have to stay out of sight until it comes in..." Just then the door opened and Ren quickly pulled the hood back up, pulling the drawstrings tight.

"Grandpa, Ren-sama came running in here a few minutes ago, right? Is he feeling oka-..." Maria froze and stared at Ren, her jaw hanging open at the sight. There he sat, hood drawn, cinched and tied so that only a circle of his face showed, acting as though this was a perfectly normal appearance.

"Hey Maria-chan. Sorry if I made you worry earlier. I wasn't quite feeling myself." he said, putting on his most sparkly smile. Yashiro and Kyoko stood by, confused and baffled. One thing was certain though, the boy was hiding something he  _definitely did not want known_.

"Ren-sama," Maria spoke slowly and unsure, "Why are you wearing your jacket like that?" Impossibly, Ren smiled even brighter.

"What do you mean? Do I look bad?" he asked, knowing full well that Maria would adamantly deny it.

"No! Of course not! Ren-sama could never look bad." she looked back at Yashiro with a pointed glare. "Ren-sama could never look bad." she repeated before looking back to him. She couldn't help but pause all over again at the sight. "But... It is a somewhat strange style...." she hedges nervously. Ren hummed and nodded his understanding before hopping off the couch and heading toward the bathroom cloaked in his false cheer. "Wha-? Why are you leaving all of a sudden?" she asked. Why was Ren acting so weird?! He turned and smiled back at her happily.

"I'm just going to shave my head real quick. We can play once I'm done." he states as if it were the most natural decision. Maria's eyes went wide with disbelief while Kyoko and Yashiro's mouths dropped open. Shave his head?! That shouldn't be necessary, right?

"NO!" Jelly cried and ran over, clearly distressed by this decision. The president looked surprisingly unconcerned as the tiny woman banged on the door that Ren had shut and locked behind him. "Don't do it, Ren! I'll fix it! I'll make it your favored hair again, just don't shave your head!" she sounded like she was pleading someone out of a suicide, though perhaps this would be called a fashion suicide? Maria looked to the president with disbelief.

"Grandfather! Use your emergency key to unlock the door! Don't let Ren-sama shave his head! How can you just sit there like you don't care?" The man hummed and took a puff of his cigar, blowing it into the air filter before responding.

"I wonder if it'll come back after drinking the potion and then returning to his child form again." It wasn't the ear piercing idea, but it was a similar concept he supposed.

"You're going to let him take that chance? Is his hair so bad as a kid, that he actually feels the need to shave it off?" Yashiro asked incredulously. Jelly was still pounding on the door and pleading for him to be reasonable, Maria going and joining her in hopes that more people would give a higher success rate.

"You can wear your jacket as weird as you want! I won't judge! Ren-sama is always beautiful, even with a circle face!" she exclaimed. He was doing this because she hated his solution to bad hair, right? Kyoko watched quietly as she tried to imagine Ren without hair. A shiver ran up her spine. She didn't think he would be ugly, and she would still lo-love him if he was bald, but she definitely preferred that he keep his hair for as long as he could. If he were to go around bald with his usual attire... wouldn't he look like some comic-book super-villain? "A hat! We can find you a hat! Just wait until I come back. Don't shave your head before I find the perfect hat for you!" Maria explains before running off to the costume room.

"Sir, I know you're not all that concerned because you have a solution for everything, but surely letting Ren shave his head is a bit dramatic." Yashiro reasons softly.

"Of course he's being dramatic," Lory huffed, "he's just bidding his time in there. I don't keep razors in the bathroom. What would be the point in keeping any grooming utensils aside from a comb, when I have an entire salon for those kinds of things? He would be more likely to find a razor in a public bathroom." Jelly finally stopped pleading at the door, looking back to pout at Lory. He could have told her from the start. "Of course, if he's  _really_ desperate, I suppose he could pull it out bit by bit." Everyone's eyes widened with shock at that thought, Jelly Woods already getting ready to plead at the door again. "But even if he tried that," The president was speaking a bit louder now, clearly making sure Ren could hear him, "There really wouldn't be any way he could ensure he got  _every piece_. There would be patches missed, little red dots from the uprooted hairs, itchy and uncomfortable ingrown hairs, and the MESS it would leave on the FLOOR! Just who does he think will be assigned to clean that up? So reckless and uncaring how he effects those around him." He was practically implying he would have Kyoko clean it up for a Love-me assignment just to get back at him for trying it, not that the girl in question would realize she aws being treated as an incentive. There was a long silence before a soft click sounded and the door cracked open, giving way to Ren's hooded circle-face.

"I get it already, you know. You can stop badmouthing me." Jelly let out a sound of triumph before she pushed Ren over to Yashiro and Kyoko, fairly sure the two of them could keep him from escaping to somewhere he was more certain had cutting utensils.

"Good! You wait here for a moment while I get the salon room ready. We'll have you styled properly again in no time!" she says happily before bounding off. The president let out a huff, watching it disappear into the air purifier.

"I said you were boring because you lack gossip, not because I wanted you to be like a dramatic teen going through a mid-life crisis." the man grumbled. Yashiro stared at the somewhat pouting president, but Ren decidedly ignored it, took focused on trying to figure out why Kyoko was staring at him.

"It does look a bit weird, huh?" He asks with an awkward smile, fiddling with the drawstrings to his hood. Now that he had been forced to face her again after he made such a scene, he felt incredibly foolish. He wasn't thinking straight today. Maybe he could pass it off as the magic trying to draw out his childishness more. Kyoko had seemed so calm and mature during the whole thing, though. Was it only him that felt his mind was more jumbled and foggy than usual? Kyoko blinked, looking like she had just woken up from some daydream. He never could figure out what was going through her head.

"Huh? Weird? Oh! Uh... I mean, It... It's not so bad." She said quickly. Ren rose his eyebrows and she scrambled to say something more. "I think you would look like a super-villain if you shaved your head." Ren couldn't help but laugh, doubling over while she pouted down at him. 'He's laughing at me again. Why does he have to laugh so eccentrically at me?' she wonders. She didn't focus on it for too long, however. She had her mind preoccupied with her new discovery. Tsuruga-san had blond eyebrows. He definitely hadn't had blond eyebrows before, and he was worried about people seeing his hair.... The image of Corn came to mind, and she couldn't stop herself from seeing the similarities. Eight-year-old Ren looked a little younger than the Corn she remembered, but if he was to age a couple years...? And his voice had been different this morning, a bit weird but nothing she had really thought too deeply on until now. He sounded more natural now, but it also carried a more familiar ring to it. Had Corn sounded like that? She wanted to say he did, but she was also afraid to. If her growing new suspicion was correct, if Tsuruga-san really was Corn...

Maria returned with several hats, quickly telling him the pros and cons of each choice. Kyoko quietly watched him interact with the young Takarada, her suspicion only growing stronger by the second. A shiver zipped through her and she turned to it's source, finding the president watching her with curiosity. 'A witch guarding a fairy' was the first thought to come to her mind. She looked back the Maria for a moment, realizing that the interest in dark magic might have been something she inherited due to being immersed in a magical household. She didn't feel she was in danger, but she should probably chose her next steps wisely. While she had been standing and getting lost in her thoughts, the president had noticed her suspicious behavior. Advancing felt dangerous, so maybe she should backtrack and secure her ground for now. Thinking of the best course of action, she walked over to the sitting area and crawled onto the couch with the man. Lory quietly snuffed out his cigar. Even with the air purifier, he didn't want to smoke so closely to a child.

"Is something wrong, Kyoko?" he prods gently. She kicked her feet out back and forth as she sat, noticing Ren glance over in her peripheral. Had he also noticed that she was catching on? She really needed to tread lighter until she figured out her situation.

"I... I feel sleepy." she says softly. It wasn't what was bothering her obviously, but it was at least true and she needed a reasonable excuse for how she was acting at the moment. A large hand began patting her head and she looked up to see the president smiling down at her.

"I suppose you've had a lot of excitement today. I could read to you if you'd like."

"Read to me?" she echoed curiously. Lory's hand paused on her head for a moment before a conflicted expression fell over his face, smiling a bit sadly.

"Yes, I could read you a story to help you take a nap. You have a playdate with Maria and Ren once he's done getting his 'disastrous hair' fixed, right? Here, I'll read you one of my favorites." he says, already pulling out his phone and scrolling through the saved tabs. Kyoko made a face.

"You're going to read me a love story?" she asked, sounding displeased at the thought. Lory looked down at her haughtily.

"You do know that most stories have at least a small romantic element, right? Falling in love is a part of everyday life that a vast majority of the population can relate to! On top of that, those fairytails you enjoy so much rely heavily on things like the magic of love, and-" The president quickly got lost in a rant-like lecture on the importance of love and all the different ways it can be used in a story or in magic. Kyoko found herself giggling a bit just from watching him, drifting off slowly.

 

XoX   XoX   XoX   XoX

 

"What kind of move is that? You're supposed to move one piece per turn,  _and_ you made your king move two spaces! He can only go one space, and you definitely can't have your castle jump over him, let alone in the same turn!" Maria objected vehemently. There was a shushing sound as Kyoko stirred. What was going on?

"We're supposed to stay quiet for a little while, Maria-chan. And this is actually within the rules." Young Ren's (possibly Corn's) voice reached Kyoko's ears and she started to recall everything that had happened earlier that day. Had she fallen asleep? Right, the president had been giving a lecture on love again.

"He's actually telling the truth, Maria. It's a strategy called castling. As long as you don't move the king or rook until the path is clear, you can do it. The King moves two spaces in one direction, then has the rook hop over to the opposite side of him, effectively securing the king. You can't do it if you've moved the king or the castling rook before that turn, and you can't do it if it would cause the king to be put into check during the process." They were playing chess? Kyoko cracked her eyes open slowly, spotting Ren seated on the couch opposite while Maria leaned over the board next to where she was laying. His eyebrows weren't blond anymore, turned again into the deep brown she was used to, and his hair was styled in his usual as well.

"It sounds complicated." she grumbled. Ren smiled lightly in response.

"I thought so too at first, but once you've done it a few times, it becomes really natural. Just think of it as securing the King in the castle when a a battle breaks out." he explains. Maria makes a noise of understanding before making her move. There was a gentle petting on Kyoko's head and her eyes opened fully as she realized she was leaning against the company president! She sat up in an instant and quickly looked around, clearing the fog from her mind before her eyes settled up on the man's kind smile, her cheeks growing red in embarrassment. How could she have been so carefree? She quickly jumped to the floor and bowed to him, face planted there and arms stretched outward as she gave her deepest apologies.

"President-san! I'm so sorry I fell asleep, and while you were talking, and then I had the audacity to-"

"Calm down Kyoko," Lory chuckled, lounging comfortably on the couch, "It's perfectly normal for children to go go go until they tucker themselves out. Even if my own childhood is a distant memory now, I've raised enough children to know how these things are. You're a kid right now, let yourself be one." he says. Kyoko slowly sat up, still embarrassed but at least feeling a bit better about it. She glanced over to Tsuruga-san and he smiled encouragingly.

"The president might be crazy, but he's still an understanding and surprisingly upstanding adult." he says.

"Hey, are you insulting me or what?" Lory asks with a frown. Ren only laughed before making his move.

"Check."

"Gyah!" Maria let out a yell of frustration. "Big sister is awake now. Let's play something else."

"At least finish what you started, Maria." Lory said, gaining a pout from the girl.

"He's going to win, anyway." she grumbled before making a move. Ren did end up winning, though he made sure to compliment her on how much she improved with only three games. Kyoko walked with the other two children while Lory's assistant Ruto set up a new game motioning for the president to make the first move.

"So, what are you wanting to play, Maria? Obviously not anymore chess." Ren spoke, grinning at his tiny jab. Maria huffed but couldn't stop her excited smile.

"I get to play with Ren-sama and big sister as my own age, so... hmm. What do kids usually do with other kids besides curse things?"

"No, I don't think that's a normal game for kids." Ren mumbled. Maria paid it no mind.

"Oh! Don't kids like to play house? Ren-sama is finally the same age as me, so now we can get married!" Maria exclaimed happily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha ha... ha... ha. Kids will be kids, right? Poor Ren can't seem to catch a proper break.


	5. Be a Child?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our trio start to realize they don't really know how to be proper children.

Kyoko had somehow forgotten how Maria's deep affection for Ren included a fantasy of one day claiming him as her own. She might only be a child, but she still had very real feelings and emotions. She had yet to figure out how to fully handle her own feelings for him, but now she was reminded that this dear friend of hers would be majorly effected by whatever decisions she made on the matter. She didn't know how to respond. How was one  _supposed_ to react to something like this? This wasn't a normal situation by any means. _'It's just an act. We're just playing.'_ she mentally told herself. Ren was a professional actor, and she was aiming to also be a professional actress. This kind of thing, acting out a happy home life or a wedding, were very common requests for filming, especially with how popular love stories were in this day and age. She could be a proper professional. She could keep her feelings buried and hidden while playing these things.

"How do you do that?" The two girls looked to Ren as he tilted his head. "Playing house, is it like acting a scene?" he asked.

"Ren-sama, you've never played house?" Maria asks. She was sure that most kids her age played at least once. To her surprise, he shook his head.

"I played alone a lot as a kid. I would play with my dad when there was a chance, though." he explained. Kyoko's eyes widened while Maria exclaimed her horror at this news. 'Playing with the fairy king, what could that be like?' She wondered before something else struck her. He said he played alone a lot. Surely, the fairy prince must have had plenty of friends, right?

"Well, what kinds of things  _did_ you play?" Maria asked. Maybe they could start there. Ren looked up in thought.

"My family were really the outdoors type, so there was a lot of playing in the water, in the trees and air. When my dad was free, he would play pretend with me. When my mom was free, we'd go shopping and dress-up. She enjoyed trying out all kinds of fashions on me." he explained simply. The girls could easily see how this kind of upbringing had influenced his career path. Playing pretend and dress-up, weren't those just preludes to getting into acting and modeling?

"If you've played pretend, then you can play house like that." Maria exclaimed happily.

"I see... so what's the main conflict?" He was starting to feel like he was getting a grasp of this whole 'playing with other kids' thing. Maria frowned in confusion.

"Conflict?"

"Well yeah, if we're going to act a story, there needs to be conflict to drive the story, right?" From the looks on their faces, his earlier hope fell.

"Ren-sama played in very complex and extreme ways as a child." Maria mumbled as she stared at the ground thoughtfully. Kyoko watched the interaction quietly, absorbing every tidbit of information that she could about the boy. On top of her feelings she was getting accustomed to, she had a lot of questions buzzing about in her head while the other two children discussed what 'playing pretend' entailed. Of course there were the main questions; like if he really was Corn, and if he was... should she expect him to have told her? He seemed to have a reason to hide it, so much so that he had even considered shaving his head to protect his secret. What else could he have done to keep secrets? How much of his words have been true? She recalled the way Corn had claimed to need to borrow a voice, then denied being able to change what voice he borrowed so soon. _'That was definitely a lie, right? If it was actually Tsuruga-san....'_ she thought. Her eyes widened as she recalled vehemently denying him when he wanted to call her given name without a suffix due to the voice he had been 'borrowing' at the time. She gripped her head as she shook it wildly, remembering all kinds of things from that day inn Guam, like how he had kissed her like that before disappearing from her sight. _'Nooooooooooooo! If that was Tsuruga-san...! And then I went and told him about it!'_ She wailed in her mind, crouching down and gripping her head as she shivered in embarrassment.

"-Ami-san! Mogami-san, are you alright?" Kyoko was snapped out of her ruminations by Ren urgently calling her. Looking up, she found him standing next to her, his face full of concern and a hand hovering uncertainly, as if he wasn't sure if he was allowed to reach out to her. "Do you have a headache? You feel unwell?" he asked worriedly. She stared at him with wide amber eyes for a moment as she processed the situation.

"N-no, sorry, I was just thinking... about a lot of various things." She explained vaguely. Maria hovered on her other side worriedly.

"What things? You looked really upset, Onee-chan." She pressed worriedly.

"That, uh...." Kyoko looked between the two before looking down to the ground. She couldn't just come out and say she was suspecting Tsuriga-san of being Corn! She needed to find out a different excuse! What had they been talking about again? Weddings! Maria was wanting to play pretend and marry Tsuruga-san! "For... for one, I was thinking that the president would definitely want to get involved if he found out we were doing something related to love and weddings. Don't you think it would become a big ordeal? A-and then we would have a lot of people asking where Tsuruga-san and I showed up from? It would be best if we kept it secret from the president, right?" Maria hummed thoughtfully as she nodded, but Ren didn't look entirely convinced at her excuse. Damn, she was going to need to think of a better excuse in case he tried to press her again later. At least she was pretty sure he wouldn't call her out on the bluff now, in front of Maria. Tsuruga-san was a considerate person, after all. He would probably wait until they were alone. Okay, she could work with that. She just had to avoid being alone with him!

 

XoX   XoX   XoX   XoX

 

The plan to play house hadn't really worked out. The three of them quickly grew bored with the peaceful little home-life play. It was agreed that a lack of conflict didn't really leave room for them to do much, and Maria had admitted that it felt a bit strange to call Kyoko her daughter even when they were all the same age and simply playing pretend. Kyoko felt a little sad about that until Ren suggested it was due to the fact that the young girl looked up to Kyoko so much. Maria easily agreed that she would find it really fun to have Kyoko play as her mother instead. That hadn't seemed to be received well either, though Kyoko found herself not entirely hating the idea once the topic had passed and they already moved on. Would it really have been so bad? She loved Maria like a little sister already. They interacted well enough and... she couldn't really see herself treating the young girl coldly. Even if Ren was cast as the boyfriend Maria was bringing home, it would be good acting practice to create a motherly character and see it from the new perspective. But alas, she had been so against the idea initially that Maria had quickly moved on to a new idea. Ren admitted that Kyoko's comment on him looking like a super-villain earlier had made him curious, and suggested they do something with heros and bad guys. Maria didn't take to it right away, but soon she was excitedly talking about how bad guys often have a kick-ass girl at their side. Kyoko gladly took up the roll as the hero, exclaiming that she would not loose to the two of them before they went to raid the president's costume closet.

Ren picked a surprisingly cliche villain; a mad scientist, though he only smiled secretly when she suggested he wanted to take over the world. He refused to tell Kyoko what he had planned before they started, stating that it would be foolish to expose himself to the enemy too early.

"Hmph, I guess he's already getting into character then." Kyoko grumbled, filtering through the child costumes in her size with Maria.

"He's not telling me anything yet either, Kyo-chan, I have to wait until we're in our secret base." Maria giggled as she pulled out a pair of black pants with bright red stripes coiling up the legs. "Ooh, these kinda look like they could be for a bad guy, right?" she said before running over and grabbing a black top that would go with it well. Kyoko was still getting used to the nick-name, but the other girl had said that it would be better if they used given names when talking to friends their own age. Kyoko wasn't too keen on the idea of calling Tsuruga-san so informally, but the boy in question had happily latched on to the idea. Her face heated as she recalled him saying her given name so happily. That kind of thing should be illegal! Shaking her head quickly, she found an outfit befitting a hero regularly called out of their daily life to fight bad guys.

 

XoX   XoX   XoX   XoX

 

"Turning people into mind-controlled cyborgs, how could you do such a thing? People are great because of their differences and personalities! How could you take that away?! What point is taking over a world where everything just moves like a machine?" Kyoko accused, holding her staff as she glared at Ren. The boy stood in a striking outfit of white and gold, holding his hands behind his back calmly while Maria stood before him as the muscle and guard against the hero.

"Taking over the world? Ha! Why would I want a planet infested with selfish and greedy humans? No, I want to wipe this planet and start it anew, with a perfected species!" Ren exclaimed passionately.

Lory watched with excitement from his hiding spot. He had known the children were likely to play pretend at some point, but it seemed they were getting into it quite a bit! The three were just so cute, with their serious faces and passionate claims. Only a successful love story brought him more joy than the sight of these children playing so passionately together. Tears welled in his eyes as Ruto quietly kept recording the playtime. There was no way they were passing up the opportunity to record such a precious experience for them.

"You're ignorant," Ren sneered as Kyoko struggled against Maria, the young Takarada trying to wrestle the staff from her, "Ignorant and blind. Don't you see how the earth is suffering? Humans are a sickness, filling every crevice, throwing their garbage wherever it pleases them so that they don't have to deal with it. It's someone else's problem. The smoke and fumes we emit every day are the future's problem. The extinction of a species due to poaching and clearing land for more humans is no concern of theirs! All they care about is money, appearances, and greedily throwing things down their gullets. Humans don't even like other humans. We all hate one another, especially those that are different than us!" Kyoko faltered at how passionately that line came out, her eyes widening as Maria finally wrenched the staff from her hands and knocked her backwards onto her butt. In an instant, the long-haired girl had the end pointed at Kyoko in a threatening manner, putting her in check. Kyoko was too focused on Ren's acting to care, immersed in how his hands clenched, his jaw tight. Was he really acting? She remembered those blond eyebrows, his eagerness to hide who he was and what he looked like when he didn't have Ren's facade fully equipped. The boy glared at her and her body tensed in fright. "My cyborgs erase all that. Organic and living, without the dirty hatred and selfishness of man." No, he was definitely still in character, but she could tell that he had used some part of himself to draw inspiration from. Her eyes slid down to the floor. She was the hero on this story, but she felt at a loss. Foolishly, she had gone into this with simple feelings of it only being a game between kids. She should have realized how seriously Tsuruga-san would take acting, even when playing pretend as a kid. Acting really was his whole life. It seemed like he had struggled with a lot even as a child, and that likely made him immerse himself even more in the world of acting. When you're acting, people saw the character you created, blind to your own struggles and short-comings. When you were acting, you had the protective barrier of your character to shield you, but that didn't mean you stopped hurting inside from past wounds. Maybe Ren was Corn, maybe he wasn't; either way, he had clearly dealt with some heavy things in the past.

"So that's it, then?" she spoke softly, head still down as Maria held the staff at the ready. "If you get rid of all the ugly emotions, you also get rid of the beautiful ones." She looked up to him with resolve, spotting the hint of shock on his face easily. "Yes, humans are selfish and greedy, and there are a lot of bad people in the world. Yes, people hurt one another and the earth without a second thought, but there is also a lot of good in the world! You aren't just throwing out the ugly and painful, you're also throwing away everything that is beautiful and healing! Friendship, laughter, giving presents, helping one another in the face of tragedy. Bad things happen. Painful things happen. You can't stop it, that's just part of life. What you can do, is be the good things for others! Taking the lives and choices from these people doesn't erase the pain, it causes more of it!" Maria looked down at Kyoko, then turned to see Ren staring at the floor, fists clenched and shaking. Her eyes widened and she dropped the staff, running over to him quickly.

"Ren-kun! Are you okay?" she cried. Ren's face instantly snapped to one of surprise as Maria ran and hugged him, having to take a step back just to steady himself from her force.

"Wha-? I'm fine, Maria-chan. We were playing pretend, weren't we?" he asks simply. Maria stared up at him in shock.

"P-pretend?! But... But you looked like you were really upset! You looked like your world was falling apart." her eyes watered as she looked up at him and Kyoko walked up to meet them as Ren pat the girl's head soothingly. 

"I was in character, Maria. You've seen me act before." he reminds her. The girl looked down with timidity. Sure, she had seen him act before, but that was on a set with a script and other people. Here, it was just the three of them playing a simple game of pretend. Here, she was right in front of him as he made such a face like his very existence was being questioned.

"You said you had wanted to be an actor sense you were young, but even when playing pretend, it seems you took it very seriously, huh?" Kyoko asks. Ren looked up from Maria to her, recognition in his eyes. Was he recalling their time together as kids?

"I... I don't really know how else to play." he admits, and Kyoko knew it was nothing but the truth. She smiled and giggled cutely, feeling a bit happy at how he watched her curiously.

"That's okay, I like how you play." she says happily. The smile that pulled at his lips made her think that he really must be the fairy she met in the woods.

 

XoX   XoX   XoX   XoX

 

"Are you sure you can't spend the night, Kyo-chan? You don't want to?" Maria asked sadly as Kyoko waited for Yashiro to finish speaking with the president. Kyoko shook her head sadly.

"It's not that I can't or don't want to, but I think I should go home for tonight. This curse might wear off by morning, so I'll need my clothes. I also don't want to worry my landlords too much after they saw me like this in the morning. I'll make a deal with you, though. I'll spend the night with you tomorrow no matter what. That'll also give me a chance to tell the Okami-san and Tashio-san where I'll be, as well as pack a proper bag. Is that alright?" Maria nodded and hugged Kyoko happily, the two little girls giggling together as Yashiro approached with Ren.

"Are you ready, Kyoko-chan?" Yashiro asked happily while Maria gave Ren a hug goodbye. The girl nodded and startled as she saw Ren picking up the case she and Jelly Woods had packed full of clothes for her time as a child.

"Tsuruga-san, I can get that!" she objects. Ren held it away from her determinedly.

"Kyoko-chan," she froze as he spoke her name, still not used to being friendly with her senior, "Let me help, please?"

"But-" Ren already started walking toward the garage, a determined look on his face.

"Kyoko-chan." she turned to find the president who knelt down to be more level with her and Maria. "Maybe you could just let him do this kind of thing? It might sound silly, but boys often struggle with the fear of becoming weak. It's very likely that he's using this as assurance for himself." he explains softly. Kyoko nodded timidly before the president pat her on the head encouragingly. "Thank you Kyoko, for looking out for him so much."

 

Kyoko could hardly recall the last time she had ridden in the back seat with Ren. That was about a year ago now, wasn't it? When she had been assigned to him as his temporary manager. She realized she hadn't really appreciated it at the time, though she knew the circumstances hadn't really allowed such anyway. She looked over and found him staring out the window, eyes up at the city lights as a sigh escaped him.

"Are you alright, Tsuruga-san?" she asked softly. He startled out of whatever thoughts he had been having in favor of looking over to her. Curiously, his face seemed to soften a bit as he saw her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just...," he looked out the window again with a slight frown, "You really can't see the stars in the city. I just noticed it for some reason. I wonder when I stopped looking at the stars...." She tilted her head curiously as he trailed off.

"Are you able to see lots of stars where you grew up?" she asked. She didn't dare inquire about where that might be. If he really was Corn, that would be a quick way to have him shut down the conversation. Ren hesitated for a moment, contemplating what he should say.

"Not... not really. I mean, there were a few, but the light pollution from nearby cities was enough to make it where you could still hardly see any. I only really got to see the pretty night sky when my family went really far out for a short camping trip." he explained, a small melancholic smile pulling at his lips as the car fell quiet.

"That's right, you mentioned to me before that your family enjoyed the outdoors." Yashiro laughed, breaking the silence. "I don't think you ever talked about your home town, though. Did you live near Tokyo?" Seeing Ren's guarded expression, Kyoko kept her face neutral as she mentally cried out in her mind. _'Yashiro-saaaan! How could you? I was being so careful!'_

"Where I grew up..." Kyoko stared with shock. Was he going to tell her about the fairy kingdom? But... why did he look so unhappy thinking about it? Shouldn't the fair kingdom be beautiful and uplifting? Well, she supposed he would be home-sick though. Tsuruga Ren had been going about Japan for at least five years, now.... Wait, didn't Corn say fairies couldn't stay in the mortal world for too long? "It was a bright place, I suppose, but more literal than in a happy sense. Actually, I wouldn't call it a happy place at all." Kyoko stared with shock and horror as Ren leaned his head against the window, watching the world speed by. "I wouldn't be surprised if the villain I played today was the dream of a couple of people in that place. You had a section of the city, just a little strip, that was well maintained so as to be this sparkling paradise, but as soon as you left that area, it was dirty and disgusting. Kids grew up quickly and adults were never quite grown up in the sense that should be expected of them. That's probably part of why my parents liked camping so much; to get away from it all." Kyoko couldn't believe her ears. This wasn't the picture she had of the fairy realm at all!

"Is... that what you meant when you said you grew up in an adult's world? I had no idea you grew up in one of those parts of town." Yashiro stated, actually starting to feel bad for digging now. There weren't a lot of places like that in Japan, but where they were, it could get pretty bad. Ren hadn't mentioned which town, but that was likely because the boy wanted to put it behind him. Kyoko watched the boy quietly for a moment before reaching out and gently grabbing his hand. He looked at her quickly, shock coloring his expression before it slowly melted into a thankful smile. Maybe Corn was just a character he created to escape all of that. Maybe he had told some lies to protect himself, but one thing would never change: he had a special kind of magic about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really know if Ren grew up in LA, but I imagine he was at least in that area a lot. People often have this idea that LA is a gorgeous paradise with lights and casinos and such, but really that's just "The Strip". If you wander outside of that, it gets really bad. Cali is a beautiful state, but the cities are really no joke, and the entertainment industry is rough, especially on the youths in it.  
> I also made sure so look up the different cities in Japan. It's true that it's a very safe country compared to most, but they do have some dangerous places like slums and red-light districts. It's not a utopia. It's a real place, and any place you go is going to have places like that. Ren wouldn't be giving away anything with the descriptions he gave, though he did make a tiny private joke about "The Strip" in Cali that I couldn't resist putting in.  
> I identify a lot with Ren and his experiences, so I'm really enjoying writing an upbeat story where he gets to enjoy being a kid a little more than he got the first time around.
> 
> On a happier note, I had fun writing how these three would play together. There's no way they could play in a peaceful or timid way. They all have such powerful and complex personalities, that even playing pretend would become something extreme, especially with Ren and Kyoko getting to act.
> 
> I don't have a lot of memories from my childhood, so I'm actually starting to struggle in finding the kinds of things they would face now. I know this is far from over, though. One day is hardly enough time for a wish spell, I think.


	6. Fighting against time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems that the magic has yet to wear off, and it's starting to take it's toll.
> 
> I still do not own any of these characters.

Kyoko sighed as she looked in the mirror. Still a child. She had seriously been hoping it was only a one-day thing. Well, at least things wouldn't be as hectic as yesterday. They already have a potion ready to help them complete a few hours of work in the day, and the schedules had been arranged to accommodate this kind of life for at least the next couple weeks. It was a worst-case kind of preparation, but better safe than sorry. Huffing with determination, Kyoko hopped over and packed her bag, putting in a few spare outfits for her adult self as well as a few nighttime supplies before sealing her suitcase up again and pushing it toward the stairs. She had to lower the large bag down the stairs carefully, silently remembering how Ren had still been strong enough to pick it up while a kid. It hadn't looked like an exceptionally easy task, but he still had a better time than she was currently. Maybe she could blame the stairs, but she had a suspicion that he had worked on his strength even at this age, at least a little. She finally reached the bottom of the stairs, finding a shocked looking Yashiro.

"Kyoko-chan, I can always help you with things, you know. This kind of thing is also my job as a manager." he tells her encouragingly. Kyoko huffed as she shook her head.

"I can at least do this much. You can take it to the car if you want, though." she said, not wanting to admit that she was quite out of breath at the moment. Yashiro didn't pry and simply smiled before taking her bag for her as she followed him out to the car, saying her goodbyes to the owners as she went.

"Ren should be heading to his first job for the day soon, and we'll be heading to your first right after you get changed." Yashiro informs her, quickly briefing her on the days schedule on the way to LME. It seamed that she and Ren would both be picked up from TBM as their final destinations for the day, and she smiled quietly as she remembered how much time she had gotten to play with him and Maria yesterday. With any luck, they would play a new game of pretend today. She would properly create her character this time. Maybe she would manage to surprise Tsuruga-san with how well she did it. She quite liked that thought.

 

The day was going smoothly enough this time as well. She felt like she was floating as she completed her job as Bou, apologizing profusely to the Ishibashi brothers as she turned down their offer to eat and hang out. She could already feel that she didn't have a bunch of time left. The schedule had been quite tight and some things had taken a little longer than expected, meaning that she needed to quickly find Yashiro and Ren, and get back to LME. As it was, they should be able to  _just_ make it. Kyoko found the manager fairly quickly, but Ren was nowhere in sight, leaving Yashiro standing by himself with a concerned expression as he messed with his phone.

"Yashiro-san!" Kyoko called, grabbing his attention before waving as she approached, "Where's Tsuruga-san? I thought you went to go find him?" The bespectacled man frowned and shook his head with uncertainty.

"I went to the set he should have wrapped up in, but they said he had just left. I think the medicine might have worn off due to the time limit, but he's not answering his phone." he explained. Kyoko frowned as she remembered the way Tsuruga-san hadn't wanted them to see his hair when it changed back to it's original state. Could it be that it was also hidden from Yashiro-san? Was it just the president that knew? Ah, but Muse-sama was the one that fixed his appearance, so she must know as well. Was that it? She really would need to to tread lightly around this secret.

"If it's worn off, you should probably check the restrooms or any storage closets, places with privacy where he could hide and change quickly." she said. They quickly started walking down the halls in search of a little boy, Kyoko searching for a mop of blond hair. She found one, but it was far from the one she wanted as she was jerked back by a hand on her wrist. Kyoko gasped as she was faced with a scowl from her childhood friend.

"Oi, why are you walking around with the manager of  _that guy_ as if were perfectly normal?" he growled, cutting to the chase. Kyoko squirmed and tried to pull her arm out of his grip. Damn it, why was he so strong? Stupid Shotaro was a lazy bum and still managed to over-power her in strength. She glared up at him in irritation. She didn't have  _time_ for this! She needed to find Tsuruga-san! She was going to change back in the middle of these halls if she didn't hurry.

"Let me go, Shotaro!" she snapped at him, but he still held fast, so she started dragging him along with her. She was getting quite a few odd looks, so she tugged him into the parking garage, silently hoping the manager noticed her lack of presence and came back to find her. "Yashiro-san has been assigned to also act as my manager!" she claimed. She said that with confidence, but it had truthfully been bothering her a bit sense it started. Yashiro stuck with her as often as possible, usually leaving Ren to go about his day alone. She had honestly been very worried about it, even going to far as to check on him often and make sure he was properly eating his meals.

"Sharing with-"

"Fuwa Sho," Yashiro's voice called out in warning, the manager leveling the boy with his icy glare that usually worked so well to keep Ren's fans at bay. The singer only hesitated for a moment, but still refused to let go of Kyoko. "I would advise you to release my charge. Unless you wish to face charges of assault?" Sho huffed with a smirk.

"Yeah right, as if Kyoko is willing to admit she was made so powerless. I doubt you'll actually lay a hand on me either." he snarked before a large hand grabbed the boy's arm. Kyoko and Yashiro looked to the source, shocked to find Ren standing there with his most vicious glare directed at the singer. Something was off, though. His complexion was a little more flushed and even a bit clammy, the man breathing a bit heavier than usual.

"Fuwa..." he growled out, the teen finally releasing Kyoko in his surprise. The girl instantly took her chance to put several steps between her and Sho, but her focus wouldn't leave Ren. She could tell he was still trying to act like he was fine, but whatever was wrong with him was clearly taking its toll. Sho pulled back from Ren quickly, wrinkling his nose in distaste.

"Are you sick?! What kind of professional goes around looking like that?" Kyoko clenched her fists in aggravation. How DARE he? How dare  _SHOTARO,_ of all people, accuse Tsuruga-san of being unprofessional!

"Tsuruga-san is way more of a professional than  _you_ , stupid! Even when he doesn't feel the best, he doesn't let it get in the way of his work and promises! Someone that lounges around and whines like a child couldn't understand how hard he works!" She defended passionately. Ren groaned and wobbled in place before taking an unsteady step. Sho let out a garbled noise as the larger man steadied himself by putting a hand on Sho's shoulder, the teen sagging significantly at the weight. "Tsuruga-san!"

"Ren!" Yashiro called worriedly, quickly making his way to the man's side. Was this a side effect of the magic? Of the potion-medicine? What was happening? First, he needed to get Sho away from both of his charges! He caught Kyoko's gaze and gave her a silent nod, Sho squawking his protests in the background. In an instant, Kyoko was at Ren's side while Yashiro rounded on Sho, blocking the view of the two as he started to give the boy an ear-full about assaulting girls and the like.

Finally a good distance away Kyoko helped Ren sit on the ground, worrying over him as he panted and rested his head against a wall, eyes closed. He really did not look well at all.

"Tsuruga-san, what happened?" she asked, feeling his forehead. It was hot and wet with sweat, worrying the girl to no end. Quickly, she fished out her phone and dialed the president, the task a bit more difficult with her hands shaking so much. A whimper threatened to escape her as she waited for the president to pick up.

 _"Hello? Kyoko-chan? Is everything alright?"_ Relief started to fill her as Lory's voice came through the speaker, the girl setting it down while she tried to keep Ren's wobbly head steady for him. His eyes were barely cracked open, foggy and staring ahead.

"Presidant-san! Help me! Tsuruga-san, he... I don't know what happened? He looks really sick!" she cried, tears prickling in her eyes.

 _"Sick? What are his symptoms?"_ the urgency in the man's voice didn't help Kyoko's nerves.

"I... He has a fever, really flushed and sweaty. Uh, um... d-difficulty breathing? He's panting a lot, like he just finished a sprint or something." she felt the pulse at his neck and her eyes widened. "I-irregular heartbeat. Uh... um...!" she quickly tried to find any other symptoms that might help.

"N-Naus~ious..." Ren groaned deeply. The president went quite for a moment before Kyoko heard a muffled curse.

 _"Kyoko-chan, is Ren still an adult?"_ he asked quickly. Her eyes widened and she nodded before remembering that this was a phone-call.

"Y-yes, he is!"

 _"Ren, what did you_ do _? You IDIOT!"_

"Run... Was runn~ing out of time." Ren groaned, his hand fisting into his shirt in front of his stomach.

"Does your stomach hurt? What's happened?"

 _"Kyoko,"_ The president's voice called her attention back to the phone,  _"I need you to listen carefully. We need Ren to throw up. He must have taken another potion when he felt his time running out, which means he essentially over-dosed. Do you understand? Please... help him."_ Kyoko looked to Ren in worry, fear grabbing hold of her tighter at the worried wound of the President's voice. Looking to Ren, she saw him hunching over to the side, his hand in his mouth and pain evident on his face. He gagged and her eyes widened as she realized he had wasted no time in doing as the president said. Kyoko decidedly ignored the smell of stomach acid as she pat Ren's back in what she hoped would be soothing. He was still panting, but she could already see his complexion balancing out a bit. She felt a wave of dizziness and knew there wasn't much time left, looking around quickly before she spotted Yashiro's car not too far away. She snatched up the phone and shoved it into the pocket before standing and starting to pull Ren's arm.

"Come on, Tsuruga-san. We need to get to a safe place before we change back. Yashiro's car is right there." she urges. The man shakily gets to his feat, footsteps heavy as she lead him to the car. Locked! Damn! Maybe Yashiro was nearby? "Yashiro! The car is locked!" she yelled as loud as she could, not caring if she disturbed other people around. This was more important than courtesy at the moment! She could hear arguing voices near by, her eyes watering again before she heard the locks in the car click. Wrenching the doors open, she pushed Ren into the back seat, crawled in behind him, then slammed the door shut as he bent his legs to fit in the space. Safe in the shelter of the car, she looked over her sempi again, feeling the pulse at his neck and letting out a sigh of relief when she found it as a more steady beat, though still a bit fast for her liking. She heard a muffled voice and quickly pulled out her cellphone, finding the president still on the line and calling for her. "Yes president-san, we're here. He seems to be doing much better after that." she assures him. There was a heavy sigh of relief on the other end.

 _"Thank you, Kyoko-chan. I'm sorry you had to be troubled with this idiot."_  Lory says harshly, but she can hear the relief in his voice. She assures him that she'll keep him updated if anything else happens before they reach the agency, then says her farewell and hangs up. Looking to Ren, she could see discomfort on his face as veins of light seemed to crawl under his skin. He cracked his eyes opened and stared back at her, still panting lightly.

"Do-don't... look." he groans out pleadingly. She stared at him with disbelief. Even when in this state, he was trying so hard to hide his true appearance. She hesitated for a moment before nodding and closing her eyes.

"I won't look." she promises. She felt his large hand gently grab her own, his thumb gently stroking the back of her hand. It was a bit strange, feeling how those big strong hands slowly shrunk in her own. She resisted with all her might not to look, clenching her eyes shut tightly as she pursed her lips into a determined frown. She heard his child-like laughter after a moment, then felt a weight shift into her lap, the boy releasing her hand in the process. She institutionally wrapped her arms around him and buried her nose in his hair with a soft sigh. "I'm so glad you're okay." she tells him softly, hugging his head to her chest.

Ren blushed a bit as he sat in her embrace. Kyoko was't some buxom babe or anything, but that was fine by him. She didn't need the extra help to make him feel comforted and safe.

"Thank you, Kyoko-chan... for everything you've done for me." he says softly.

"I don't think I've done anything to warrant your thanks, Tsuruga-san." she denies, her mind drifting to the last time he had thanked her with her name, back when he had been sick. Maybe he had been calling her name after all. If this was Corn... but that would also mean he probably already knew she was the Kyoko he knew back then. No, this wasn't the time to think about those things.

"You have!" He insists, hugging her a little tighter for a second. "You've done a lot for me. I don't think I can even put it into words." Just then, the driver door opened and Yashiro crawled in, grumbling about Sho's behavior. Kyoko gasped and shoved Ren down into the space behind the driver's seat, hiding him from view of Yashiro. Her eyes opened as a consequence and she stared in shock at a wide-eyed and scared, very familiar blond, child Ren. Neither one of them moved, staring at the other in silence before Yashiro started to turn in his seat to see what was going on.

"What are you two-"

"NOTHING!" Kyoko shoved her bag in Ren's face, hiding him from the manager's sight. Yashiro looked at the scene in confusion for a moment before slowly turning back to face the front.

"Okay... Well, we can't start moving until you two are in your seats and buckled in." he states. Ren peaked over the bag at Kyoko as she slowly pulled away, sitting back in the seat behind the passenger side as her vision swam and she felt the world stretching around her. Or maybe she was being compacted. She didn't really know. What she did know, was Ren now she was aware of his secret. The boy didn't stop staring at her as he puled a hoodie out of his satchel and pulled it on. He maintained eye contact with her as he pulled the hood up and pulled the strings tight, leaving him with the circle-face from yesterday. Kyoko held in a laugh at the sight, and Ren allowed himself a small smile before he crawled in his own seat. Both children were swimming in the clothes of their adult selves, but they didn't mind it for the time being, instead staring at one another with secret smiles. Yashiro looked back to make sure everyone was buckled in, pausing as he saw Ren with his hoodie on in that weird way again. "It can't be that bad. Kids have messy hair, but even Kyoko-chan tries to hide it." he grumbled under his breath as he started the car. Kyoko held in giggles, pausing as she saw Ren typing on his phone. She thought maybe he was sending a message to the president to ensure that he was fine, but then he held it out for her to see.

_you knew_

She shrunk back in the seat timidly, then pulled out her own phone, typing a reply.

 _I had my suspicions... Tsuruga-san had blond eyebrows._ As soon as he read the message, he dropped his phone in favor of slapping his hands over his eyebrows. Kyoko giggled and Ren pouted. She typed another message before hesitating. Should she really...? But it would probably be strange  _not_ to ask. Ren looked over as she held out her new message for him.

_Are you Corn?_

His eyes widened as she met his gaze, uncertainty in her eyes. He lowered his own before nodding nervously, the sight made slightly comical with his hood cinched and hands clamped over his eyebrows. Kyoko reached up and slowly pulled off her auburn wig, fiddling with some of the strands of hair before reaching over and placing it on top of his head, over the hood. Ren looked at her with surprise and she giggled as she styled it so the bangs hung over his eyebrows, getting in his eyes a bit, but what can you do?

"You can pull off any hair color." she giggles secretly. Ren stared at her in shock for a moment before a soft smile pulled at his own lips.

"Thank you, Kyoko-chan." she paused and blushed, looking down at her feet as she wiggled them. Yashiro held in his squeals as he peaked at the children using the rear-view mirror. He didn't really understand what was going on, but it seemed they had a good vibe going between them! 

 

XoX   >@<   XoX   >@<

 

Lory was not pleased. He was fine with Kyoko finding out about Ren. He would have been fine with Yashiro finding out about it, though he preferred to still keep this under wraps as much as possible. No, it was nothing to do with Ren being discovered. Lory was displeased with Ren's reckless behavior in taking another potion just to extend his time as an adult. Kyoko shuffled her feet timidly as the president paced about aggressively before her and Ren, who had pulled down his hood when they were alone out of respect for the president. Yashiro had gone to take care of some things, leaving Ren to explain what had happened, as well as confess that Kyoko had found out about his non-Japanese origins.

"President-san, I promise not to tell anyone." Kyoko spoke up timidly. Lory paused and heaved a sigh, shaking his head.

"I know you won't Kyoko-chan. In fact, I think this is probably a good development, a bit earlier than I should have liked, but certainly still a good thing. I'm not mad at you or the fact that you know Ren isn't fully Japanese. Not in the slightest." Kyoko relaxed and smiled, happy she wasn't in trouble for her discovery. She was a bit curious about the whole 'not fully Japanese', as well as the cryptic message Ren had said early when telling the president that she didn't know where he came from, but she also didn't want to push her luck by inquiring about it. He was apparently partially Japanese, so he did have roots here one way or another... which meant it probably wasn't as hopeless for a fairy and a human to be together as she had previously thought. She didn't know where he came from, though? Did that mean he wasn't really from the fairy realm? Or was he lying to the president? He didn't look like he was. He looked like he was conveying some secret message at the time, but Tsuruga-san was also a great actor. Was he perhaps protecting her from whatever fate befell someone that knew of his origins? Would it be okay for her to ask about it later?

Lory heaved another heavy sigh, snapping Kyoko out of her thoughts as she watched her boss struggle over something.

"Ren, I don't think you should act for the remainder of this magic fiasco."

"WHAT?!" Ren's outburst caused Kyoko's head snapped to look at the shaking boy, his fists clenching tightly as he stared at the president. "You... You can't just DO that!"

"I can, and I will!"

"I won't allow it! I want to act! You can't take that away from me!" Kyoko's eyes widened as she found herself standing awkwardly on the edge of a heated argument between Ren and the president. She was also surprised. Acting was Ren's whole life, the thing her treasured most and his only true passion. Was the president really trying to tell him that he wasn't allowed to do what he loved most in the world?

"Damn it Ren, what am I supposed to tell your parents if something happened to you?!"

"Nothing happened! I'm fine! I made a mistake, but I'm fine!"

"And how am I supposed to know this won't happen again? I know the filming was delayed a bit and had to stretch on for longer than anticipated, but you can't sacrifice yourself for these things! Your mother already calls me a kidnapper constantly, do you want her to call me a neglectful parent too? Do you want her to call me careless? A murderer?" Ren stiffened and Lory let out a heavy sigh. "The point is, Ren, that was dangerous. You might not care what happens to yourself, but you have so many people that  _do_. You'll be breaking all of our hearts if you do these reckless and dangerous things. I'm grounding you until further notice."

"You're not my dad!"

"Then should I call him here to do it for me? Should I tell him what his son did, and have him know how you almost destroyed yourself again?" Ren snapped his mouth shut and looked away quickly.

"I hate this. I'm weak. I'm useless. I'm not allowed to  _act_. It's like I'm living the worst years of my life all over again." Ren scrubbed at his face with the sleeve of his hoodie before pulling the hood over his head, hiding himself from view once again. "I never wanted to live like this again. I thought you were supposed to help me stand on my own."

"I also have to make sure you don't kill yourself in the process." Lory reasoned. Ren clicked his tongue.

"This _feels_ like dying." he grumbled before pulling the drawstrings tight on his hood and stalking out of the office. Lory sighed heavily before his gaze fell on Kyoko, an apologetic smile pulling at his lips.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Kyoko-chan." The girl fidgeted uncomfortably.

"If I may speak freely president-san," she starts, waiting for the man to nod and motion for her to go ahead before she continued, "I don't think it would be good to tell Tsuruga-san he isn't allowed. He really loves acting. It's what keeps him alive, or at least that's my personal opinion."

"True as that may be, he did something very dangerous, Kyoko-chan. He can't afford to do reckless things like that." She nodded solemnly.

"I just think... he's probably already realized what a big mistake it was. Tsuruga-san isn't one to make the same mistake over and over." She says, fiddling with her thumbs. Lory watched her for a moment before sighing heavily for the up-teenth time that day.

"You're too soft on him, Kyoko-chan... but I will put some more thought into it." Kyoko perked up and thanked the president happily before he dismissed her. Leaving the office, Kyoko went to search for her disguised fairy prince.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, lots of stuff going on with Ren here. I think I'll be wrapping this up soon-ish. I'm not really sure where else I could take this premise. Maybe have Kuu make an appearance? Not really sure how, though.


	7. Heart-to-Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yep, still don't own anyone.
> 
> People are going to have some much needed serious conversations with one another.

Kyoko found Ren curled up on a couch in the love-me room, hugging his legs with his face in his knees. He had pulled the hood back again it seemed, sparkling blond hair sticking out in all directions from being messed up in the hood so much. Quietly, she padded over and pulled herself up to sit next to him, No reaction.

"Tsuruga-san?" she called. There was a twitch before he slowly unraveled, sitting more properly on the couch as he stared at his hands sadly.

"What's the point of being 'Tsuruga Ren' if I'm still not allowed to act?" he asks before letting out a heavy sigh. Kyoko frowned and looked down at her own hands. She didn't have an answer for him. She didn't really know his situation, but she was coming to understand that 'Tsuruga Ren' was more than just a stage name. It was a means for him to have the freedom to move as he pleased, to act and enjoy the world, to get a new start. She recalled him telling Bou that he had been fired quite a lot, to the point that he was still counting when she.... Her eyes widened and she peaked over to him. That blatant attitude he had picked up when she suggested he worked outside of Japan! It was a cover-up! But... Seeing him still sitting there like an empty shell, she couldn't bring herself to be mad. Really, could she have expected him to outright admit such a thing to a giant chicken he had just met at the time? It was obvious that this was something he guarded close to him at all times. And then there was the matter of what 'Tsuruga Ren' entailed. It seemed the senpai she had been trailing after all this time was really a character. How much of it was him? How much of the person she fell in love with was just a charade?

"If you aren't Tsuruga Ren, would you be here?" She asked with a slight frown. The boy looked over at her with shock before pursing his lips as he thought hard on that.

"I... I guess not." Kyoko's heart clenched, worrying over what all that confession could mean. "I mean... I feel like I've already been freed of my restraints. I'm able to move about and find my way thanks to the name 'Ren' cutting me free. He let me escape from a dyer situation, let me enter Japan's acting world. If I was to lay 'Ren' to rest now, though... I wonder if I would still be allowed to stay here, or if I would need to go back home. Nothing would change legally of course, but... Could K... Could the person I am underneath it all be accepted here still? I don't feel quite ready to pick up my old name again, to stand and face my father head-on in the acting world." Kyoko kicked her feet on the couch distractedly, mulling over the topic alongside him. It sounded like there were a lot of complexities to all this. Maybe this meant Ren was closer to his true self than initially thought. She knew that Tsuruga-san had a lot of layers to his personality. The actor was know for being bright and polite, a perfect gentleman with the patience that rivaled few. She had known more than that, though. His childishness, yet still mature in his understanding of others, how forgiving he was of those who sincerely apologize, his desire to overcome obstacles, his passion for acting. Perhaps Tsuruga-ren wasn't a mask, but a means of becoming the man Corn wanted to be. The characteristics were rooted in Corn's desires and his own personality.

"I think Ts-...." she paused for a moment. Saying that 'Tsuruga's' acting is good felt like she was crediting his skill to the character, but that wasn't quite right. "I think Corn's acting speaks for itself on how great of an actor you are." she says, peaking over to him. He stared back at her with surprise. "I don't really know what parts of you are 'Corn' or 'Tsuruga Ren', but I don't think anyone can find fault in your work. It... might be difficult for people to accept certain things, but I think you could still definitely be allowed to act." she smiled over at him assuredly, and his eyes watered as he smiled and nodded.

"Thank you. It seems you're helping me a lot today." he said, twiddling his thumbs. Kyoko hummed lightly in response, thinking over her own words.

"Can I get to know who Corn is more? I only got to spend a few hours with him before, and I'm starting to wonder how much of the things I was told are true. Like borrowing voices and appearances." Ren stiffened and looked to her nervously, finding the girl throwing his forced smile back at him. For the first time, he could see how such a sparkly appearance could feel so foreboding. "It must have been really fun, right? Tricking me so much, you got to dance circles around me while I was blinded."

"No, that... I wasn't trying to make fun of you or anything, honest!" he tells her frantically, hand reaching out to her but not quite reaching its destination. Kyoko giggled and he stared as she dropped the sparkles in favor of a more sheepish smile. She was just messing with him, huh?

"I know. I've already come to the understanding that you hide out of necessity. I'm a little sad that I wasn't trusted, but... I guess that can't really be helped. I'm just a kohai after all."

"That's not it!" Kyoko jumped at Ren's sudden outburst, looking to him with shock. His face flushed slightly as he realized how impulsive he was acting. "It... It's not that I don't trust you, Kyoko." he repeated, quietly appreciating how her own face grew red at his informal address, "I probably trust you more than anyone else in the world. It's just..." he looked down, fiddling with the edges of his clothes as he tried to string his words together in the best way. Maybe he should have written a script for himself to follow, but this wasn't exactly planned. He could ad-lib just fine usually, but it felt quite risky in this instance. "I have a lot of reasons for doing those things in Guam. I... I was originally going to try and play it off like you had gotten the wrong person but... then you looked so sad, and I couldn't just leave you there like that. It was so incredibly dangerous and risky, but I wanted to try and make you happy. I just needed to think of proper explanations to various things. You were so happy, getting to see Corn again, and even though I couldn't possibly amount to the way I was back then, I wanted to try to stay by your side and see you smile so excitedly more." Kyoko stayed silent after his somewhat rushed explanation. Did he mess it up? Was she mad at him?

"You told me you loved me." Ren stiffened and she looked up at him with a disapproving frown. Shoot. "You said it as simply as there are birds in the sky, just like a playboy! For what? Because you wanted to tease me and trick me into doing something like giving you a kiss?!" Her face grew a few shades darker in her embarrassment, pointing at him accusingly now. "And then you sat there and acted oblivious when I came around and told you about it!" Ren grabbed her pointing hand and pulled her to him, the girl gasping as she lost her balance and toppled into his chest. Quickly, he wrapped his arms around her as she squirmed. "You know how I feel about such things, and you went and said and did all that!" She was upset. Upset that she had been tricked and deceived. Upset that he had let her do such embarrassing things. Upset that it hadn't meant anything to him!

"I know I'm a despicable person. I know I'm selfish." he told her, the girl slowly settling down as she listened to his words. "I deceived you and now you're hurt, and I'm sorry. I never intended to hurt you." Kyoko's eyes watered and she gripped his shirt. This wasn't fair. Ren and Corn were the same person, which meant she couldn't have _either_. "I should have been more mindful. I should have realized, even if I hadn't expected it so soon, that it would one day come to light and you would find out that I had manipulated the situation. I got so caught up in wanting a kiss from you, that I forgot to take your own feelings into account. I'm sorry." Kyoko paused.  _'Eh?'_ her mind echoed.

"Why would you want a kiss from me so badly?" She mumbled, half disbelieving and half simply confused. "You were even the one that told me to keep my vow before, only to encourage me to break it and lie to _you_ later." Was he fighting with a second personality or something? Her eyebrows lowered as she pouted up at him, slowly shifting to curiosity instead as she saw him tun his head away and blush.

"That is... I told you at the time, didn't I?" he muttered. "I thought... hoped it could break the curse." Kyoko stared blankly.

"To break the curse."

"Yes"

"With true love's kiss."

"Y-yeah..." Young Ren peaked over at her, feeling incredibly nervous. Maybe he should have denied being Corn back in the car, but it had been clear that she already figured it out. If he had tried to lie about it... would she be even more mad than she was now when she found out? It was highly likely. He wasn't even sure how she was taking this so well  _now_. And lying about his intentions behind the kiss... That kind of thing would on;y hurt her more. Kyoko looked to him suspiciously.

"What about Kimiko-san?"

"Who?" Ren was stunned. He wasn't expecting this sudden turn in the conversation. Did their roller-coaster of a conversation fly off the tracks somehow?

"Kimiko! Morizumi Kimiko! Isn't she the girl you love? Are you playing around with me because of your unrequited love?" Ren stared in shock for a moment before he frowned deeply.

"I don't know where you heard such a thing, but I never had feelings for that girl." he claimed, looking displeased. "Actually, I should say that she caused me a great deal of trouble like having a sharp rock in one's shoe while walking, trying to manipulate me into a relationship when I had been determined not to mess with such things at the time. Things became quite a mess on the set due to her lack of professionalism." He looked grumpy just thinking about it, but Kyoko was busily trying to push down her glee. That girl had just been likened to a sharp little rock! It had been a trick! The whole time, that girl had never even brushed Tsuruga-san's heart! Kyoko let her head fall against his chest as relief overwhelmed her. She blushed as she felt his heartbeat thudding away under her hand and cheek. Tsuruga, no... Corn was really warm and comfortable.

Ren looked down at the girl curiously. She had stopped trying to push him away a little while ago, and now she was actually leaning on his chest. His heart pounded faster and he felt her hand feel it curiously as she looked up at him.

"Are you okay, Tsuruga-san? It's kinda fast." she tells him, her little hand spread out over where his heart was going crazy.

"I... I'm fine. I just wasn't expecting you to take it so well." She tilted her head curiously and Ren blushed a little darker as he realized she wanted him to elaborate. "I mean... you've sworn off love, and I still..." He looked away timidly again. "I still confessed to you, and in such a matter-of-fact way. I thought you would be more upset, knowing Corn and Ren are the same after such a confession." Kyoko froze and Ren started worrying all over again. It couldn't be, she still thought he hadn't been serious?

"You... That wasn't a joke?" She had!

"I wouldn't joke about such things." Ren replied, very obviously insulted by such an implication. Kyoko glanced up at him with a thoughtful pout, her hand twitching over his erratic heart. It was sure to feel cold when she inevitably pulled away. Wanting to hold onto her warmth for as long as possible, he covered her hand with his own, holding it there. "You don't have to worry. I won't do anything to you." he promises, watching as her amber eyes widened. Did she not believe him? He smiled softly. "I've managed to hold myself back fairly well thus far. The risk of you fleeing from my side is too great. I don't think I can allow you to escape, though. Sorry." Kyoko stared at him with disbelief. Tsuruga-san... Corn... she was the person he fell for? She looked away and thought back to the time she had given him love advice. It was her? All that time?... She told him to seduce her! She tried to convince him it was okay to pursue a girl of marriageable age! "Kyoko?" He called, her name on his lips combined with her thought process; she never stood a chance to resist the bright red blush that washed over her. Ren was baffled. It had never even occurred to him as a _possibility_ that she would react this way. Hope welled up in his chest and he fought to keep it down. When that didn't work, he pulled her into his arms once again, hugging her tightly as the girl let out a squeak of surprise.

"Ts-Ts-Tsuruga-san, I know you're from a less reserved place, but you still shouldn't do these kinds of things so simply." she tried to scold. Ren simply responded by rubbing his face on the top of her head.

"I don't want to do this with just anyone." He spoke softly. Kyoko recognized those words. Back on the Dark Moon set, he had said something similar, hadn't he?" Slowly, Kyoko wrapped her arms firmly around him as she buried her face in his chest again. His heart rate really was fast... but she could feel that hers was too. She smiled as she nuzzled her face into him, feeling elated.

 

"Mo! What are you brats doing? Love-me doesn't mean it's a place for kids to sneak off to and do this crap!" Kyoko jumped backwards out of Ren's arms, bright red as she saw Kanae and Chiori standing in the doorway. Kanae scowled in a scolding manner at the too kids, one hand on her hip and the other silently pointing out the door, telling them to leave. Chiori stared from behind, frowning with what mostly looked like confusion. Ren looked to Kyoko and pulled his hood up, maintaining eye contact as he cinched the strings and made his face into a circle once again. Kyoko giggled as his antics before jumping down from the couch. They headed out of the room, Ren getting very strange looks from the two girls, but Kyoko stopped just before them, giving a respectful bow.

"Sorry for using your room. We were having an important conversation and it got a bit emotional. We really weren't trying to do anything strange." she says before straightening up and trotting off to walk beside the boy. The two Love-me girls watched the kids leave before looking to one another in confusion. What strange kids.

 

XoX   >@<   XoX   >@<   XoX   >@<   XoX

 

Ren and Kyoko headed to see Jelly first, the petite woman surprised to see Ren coming with Kyoko so simply after yesterday's fiasco, Nonetheless, she was happy he seemed to be feeling better about his hair, only asking for something to color his eyebrows when needed. Kyoko giggled when he mentioned that and he pouted at her in response. Ah, that must have been what gave him away before. In any case, she no longer needed to worry about him shaving his head or dying it until it fell out. She she was happy, handing over the brown children's wig.

Kyoko was walking around Ren in circles, marveling on how seamlessly the brown wig fit, when the President came marching in. She felt Ren tense up instantly, the boy silently glaring at the President as the man lounged on a nearby chair, crossing his arms and leveling his own stern look on the boy.

"I suggest you check your face, Ren"

"Why should I? You're trying to cut me off." He sounded like drunk being cut off at a bar. Was acting considered an addiction? Probably, Kyoko decided. Lory huffed and shook his head.

"I've come to inform you that Kyoko here has defended your honor. After taking her words into account, I've decided to give you a second option." The glare instantly fell from Ren's face with this news, though he still seemed to be on high alert. Ren always suspected the president to be up to something after all. "You can continue to act in a slightly shorter time span than originally set, but in exchange: you must call your father and personally inform him of your behavior today." Ren's eyes widened, frozen in place while Kyoko looked between him and the president. "I'll be calling him later tonight to see if you went through with it, so don't think you can try and deceive me." Ren was silent for a bit. He wanted to act more than anything else, but to call his father? To tell the man he looked up to and admired about his stupid mistake? His father was sure to throw a fit, maybe even cry. If his mother was told... She would be even more upset.

"My... my mother... I don't have to tell her as well, do I?" He asked. Kyoko watched with bated breath. The fairy queen...  _'No, no Kyoko! Tsuruga-san might not be a fairy! It's already been made clear he's not fully fairy. But... I'm sure he wasn't lying when he said she was the most beautiful in all the land!'_ Ren glanced over as Kyoko who seemed to be lost in fairy land. He had to force himself to focus on the president again to keep from laughing. Of course, she would always have that adorable quirk about her.

"I won't make you tell your mother, though I won't doubt that your father is likely to inform her. He knows well enough how to soften these things though, lest she start going into hysterics and claiming her life is at an end all over again." Ren couldn't help the short laugh this time, imagining his mother acting like she was going to feint as she dramatically claimed that whatever she was being denied was essential to her survival.

"The fairy queen is unwell?" Kyoko's whimper pulled Ren's attention to her, finding the young girl clasping her hands before her with tears in her eyes. Ren had to hold back his laughter once again. Kyoko might be able to rival his mother for dramatics, though thankfully she didn't have the same habits.

"My mother is in good health, I assure you Kyoko. This is like a hobby of hers."

"A... A hobby? How can you know it hasn't truly happened?" She seemed genuinely upset at Ren's lack of sympathy for his own mother.

"It's true though, Kyoko-chan," Lory intervened as he saw Ren being a bit overwhelmed by the girl, "She often claims things like only having seconds or minutes to live due to being denied something." He intentionally kept from mentioning her more frightening statement as of late, where it actually seemed like a plausible time limit. Kyoko looked between Lory and Ren before quietly accepting with a nod, though she still looked a bit worried about it. Ren looked to Lory, gathering his conviction.

"It's... A bit late at that place right now." He says slowly. Lory hummed and leaned back in his chair.

"Of course. I'm sure that he would be happy to take a call from you no matter the time of day, but I know how you can be. Would you like to make the call around nine or ten tonight?"

"I think ten would be best." Ren says, though he still looked nervous. Lory nodded his approval.

"Alright, I'll have everything set up and ready tonight. Would you also like to spend the night? Kyoko will be there for Maria after all." Ren glanced at Kyoko, the girl blushing a bit but nodding her encouragement. Smiling lightly, Ren nodded in response.

"I guess it couldn't hurt to experience a sleepover just once."

 

>@<   XoX   >@<   XoX   >@<

 

Playtime with Maria started out tame enough. Quieter games, discussing curses, discussing acting and yesterday's pretend game. Ren couldn't recall where the turning point was, but now he was busily trying to wrestle the two girls off of him as they attempted to attack him with tickling fingers. He managed to break free and instantly shot off into a run, jumping over whatever obstacles with ease. Undeterred, the girls giggled and ran after him as fast as they could through the halls of LME. Obviously, Lory couldn't let it pass unrecorded, assigning Ruto with the task of watching over the children while equipped with a simple home camera. He could also easily pull recordings from security footage if needed. The only blind spots were restrooms and locker rooms.

The tickle attack on Ren finally ended when he managed to climb up onto a door, sticking his tongue down at the two girls. Kyoko suggested shaking the door to knock him down, Maria protested heavily. Some of the employees stumbled upon the trio, freaking out a bit about a child perched in such a precarious place. It caused quite the commotion. And so, Ren dropped down when he was promised not to be attacked again... for today. It was at this point that Lory decided it was about time for them all to head back to his estate, the three children happily climbing in the limo with the president. Maria happily talked about all the things she could show them at her house, especially her room of magic that was sure to appeal to Kyoko. Ren was mostly quiet during the ride, only providing input when addressed directly. Kyoko was sure he was mulling over the conversation he would be having with his father later.

The Takarada home was a sight to behold, though not quite as flashy as Kyoko had expected. For some reason, she had pictured something flashy and maybe a bit off-putting. While it certainly drew the eye and left one gawking at its appearance, it was actually quite appealing and beautiful. Kyoko's head turned every which way as she walked up to the front door with the others, only stopping when she made eye-contact with Ren and realized he was watching her with amusement. She blushed and stared at the ground for the rest of the way. Ren leaned in close once they were inside, whispering in her ear.

"We can check out the garden later if you want." Her eyes snapped up to his again, a tiny hopeful smile pulling at her lips as she nodded. He loved her, Tsuruga-san... Corn... really loved her. She was still coming to terms with it emotionally, but just the knowledge that it was there was enough to make her feel giddy. So lost in her joy, she didn't notice Maria watching the two of them with a thoughtful frown on her face.

 

Lory lead Ren away, Maria's giddy expression falling into one of confusion as Ren said he would come play with them later.

"I thought Ren-kun wanted to play and have a sleepover too." she pouted as she and Kyoko headed to the magic studies room.

"Tsuruga-san has to have a phone-call with his dad." Kyoko explained, drawing the other girl's attention instantly.

"He waited to come over before doing that?" Kyoko nodded, not wanting to say too much about the situation. It wasn't her story to tell, but the other girl clearly wanted some kind of explanation.

"The president got really upset with him earlier, saying he had been acting reckless at work and stuff. Tsuruga-san has to call his dad and tell him about the things he did if he wants to continue acting while we're dealing with this curse." She hoped that the explanation was good enough to appease Maria without giving away too much. The young girl stared at Kyoko for a moment before opening the door to what looked like a lab, though a little more homey than most. Bookshelves lined one of the walls, filled with books and journals of varying ages, though most looked on the older end. There was an area clearly set up for making potions and magical medicines, and a short table nearby, made to look comfortable with a rug underneath it and little seating cushions all around it. Kyoko could see several books had been left out on the table, a couple of them still open. On the opposite wall of the room there were more shelves, these filled all kinds of supplies for magical purposes, some drawers labeled with their contents.

 Maria quietly walked over to the table and sat down, flipping through the pages of one of the open books idly. Kyoko went over to join her, finding her behavior a bit different than usual.

"Is something wrong, Maria-chan? You seem... quiet." Kyoko observes uncertainly. Maria frowned lightly, looking over to Kyoko.

"Onee-chan," she says slowly, startling the dark-haired girl. Maria had been quite insistent on calling her 'Kyo-chan' during her time as a child, so this was a little jarring. Was she trying to show that this was meant to be a serious conversation?

"Y-yes... Maria-chan?" There was silence for a moment before Maria took a deep breath, letting it out slowly through her nose before she spoke.

"Do you like Ren-sama? Are you after him?" Kyoko's eyes widened in shock. She hadn't been expecting that. Was her face slipping again? She had thought she was doing so well ever sense she had been confronted by Koga-san at the Momiji audition, saying she had been obvious.... Then again, the topic of her personal feelings rarely came up, as most people at the agency already knew her past views on the emotion.

"I... don't think I can say that I'm after him." She said a bit uncertainly, though she wasn't able to deny the first question. Maria frowned with displeasure at the response.

"That's no good, Onee-san." Kyoko looked to Maria with surprise. The young girl flipped another page before looking back over. "If you're going to be my rival in love, I would rather you didn't go in with fickle feelings and a shaky conviction. I respect Onee-san, and I think you're a good person, but I won't hand Ren-sama over to someone who doesn't have the proper resolve." Kyoko stared at the girl in shock. She had thought before that Maria was surprisingly mature for her age, but this challenge really brought that to the forefront. Looking down at her hands as if she could read the answers hiding in her palms, Kyoko pondered her own feelings. She knew she loved Ren, though she still had difficulty admitting to it outright, but was she able to fight for that love? She recalled her earlier conversation with Ren. His confession to her hadn't been very ground-breaking like it was in manga and movie dramas. It had been as simple as breathing to him. She couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips when she realized how different it was from those cliche stories. She kind of preferred it, actually. They did these things in their own special way, blowing away those sappy and repetitive expectations on how a love story should be. "Well? Have you decided, then?" Maria asked, though she didn't really need to. That look on her big sister's face told her all that she needed to know. Kyoko looked up to Maria, giving a somewhat apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, Maria-chan. It seems I've fallen in love with Tsuruga-san." she says timidly, her voice soft and unsteady but unquestioning. Maria looked up from the book she had only been flipping through without really reading, a determined smile pulling at her lips.

"Oh? I suppose I have no choice but to support you, then." Kyoko's smile fell into a look of shock.

"What? But... I thought this was a challenge." Kyoko said, feeling so confused. Maria let out a small snort as she rolled her eyes.

"Ren-sama only sees me as some little kid. Even when we were playing house, he didn't really put much emotion into playing as a happy husband and father. He even put more emotion into playing a villain trying to restart the human race. I couldn't figure out why it bothered me so much for a while, but then I saw it; the way you two interact. Ren-sama is always happiest when he's with Onee-san, and Onee-san always smiles prettiest around Ren-sama. I don't feel like I can get in between that." She said a bit sadly. Kyoko jumped and threw her arms around the other girl, hugging her tightly.

"I don't want to make Maria-chan sad, though." Kyoko stated quickly. Maria let out a small laugh.

"Don't worry so much, big sister. This is only my first heart-break. Everyone is bound to go through a couple in their lifetime, right?" Kyoko rubbed her face against Maria's head, not knowing what else to say but still wanting to comfort the other girl. "Just promise me that my giving up will be worth it. I want my two favorite people to be happy." Kyoko giggled lightly at that.

"But Maria-chan, I already feel so happy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm... I think this one is a little shorter, but it didn't feel right to go into the next scene during this chapter. Ren also still has his own conversation to have with his father, which technically falls into the theme for this chapter, buuuuuut... I think it also needs to stand apart from the others due to the subject of it. There's also the fact that I just finished closing my store (yay for working till 2 in the morning!) and don't think I'm up to thinking through a whole other emotionally charged conversation. I hope this chapter came out okay. I may or may not have been drinking while writing. Then again, it's often like that.
> 
> Ah, the morning sun calls to me. Goodnight. -_-zzzz


	8. Moving forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren makes an important phone call. The girls enjoy their little sleep-over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nakamura Yoshiki still owns all Skip Beat! characters. Am I supposed to put this disclaimer on every chapter? I feel like it's a little redundant and obvious, but I still want to keep things legal and all that.
> 
> This chapter starts with a phone call, so there's an awful lot of dialog in the begining. I'm not usually a fan of long stretches of conversations, as it's very easy to slip into "telling instead of showing" in writing, but I felt this was a really important conversation to include, and I tried to make it as interesting as possible by showing how the characters react and how they speak to each other in specific ways.

Ren sat at the phone, listening to it ring with a heavy heart. President Lory left the room after escorting him there, giving him the privacy needed to make the call, but now Ren was starting to wonder if his presence would have made the wait more bearable. With each ring, Ren felt the suffocating desire to hang up and wait for another time. Weather it was luck or not when the line finally connected, he wasn't sure.

 _"Hello, this Kuu speaking."_ his father's voice was a little groggy, as though he had just woken up. It wouldn't be a surprise. It was only six in the morning in California right now. _"Hello?... Lory, are you there? Did... Did something happen?"_ Kuu's worried tone gave Ren a jump-start.

"F-father..." He didn't mean to stammer, feeling a bit embarrassed about the uncertainty in his voice. He had never called out to his parents in times of trouble before, knowing they were both very busy people and not wanting them to know his shame, but with being all but forced to make contact at this time... his emotions were a bit unguarded at the moment.

 _"Kuon? Is that you?"_ His father sounded like he was wide awake now, and Ren smiled as he visualized how the sleep would vanish from the older man's eyes in an instant. _"One second, I'll wake your mother-"_

"Wait, dad! I... It's not that I don't want to talk to mother as well or anything, but there's some news that I would rather not tell her directly." Kuu was silent for a moment before starting to slowly inquire Ren's words.

_"Some... news? Is something wrong after all?"_

"Well... I'm currently... dealing with a situation involving magic."

_"... I see. Are you in trouble?"_

"Not particularly. I'm not really sure how it's happened, but I woke up yesterday morning in the same appearance as when I was around eight or nine years old." There was a long silence before Ren called out to his father once again, asking if he was still there.

_"You're saying you woke up as Kuon? As a child?"_

"Yes."

 _"I see... That is indeed strange."_ Why did his father suddenly sound so excited about this? _"Do you know if it's illusion magic? If it's you when you were eight, your purification should protect you from being directly effected by curses, I should think."_

"It's not illusion magic. Maybe It's able to effect me through my adult self. Maybe It can't mend something like a broken soul and restore those purification abilities. I know for a fact the this isn't an illusion, though. Lory has been providing us with magicine potions to counteract the curse, and illusions are not able to become so strong that they return after someone breaks free of its hold."

_"Us? Are there others that have also been reverted into children? Are they all the same age?"_

"As far as I know, it's only Mogami-san and me, and we both appear to be somewhere around eight, I believe." Ren admits.

 _"Kyoko-chan is also in this predicament? Interesting.... In that case, it must have something to do with the both of you, right? Actually, She did seem to have that kind of energy about her, where she was capable of fantastic things. If she perhaps had some deep-rooted wish in her heart, it's possible that the powers of the world took this to be the best solution. This could be a good sign for you, seeing as you are involved directly."_ Ren fell quiet as he thought about that. Kyoko did seem to dabble in curses quite a bit, so much so that she and Maria had had an extensive conversation earlier that day over the topic of curses and spells. If this was her doing however, he couldn't believe it was for the reasons his father was hoping. Most likely, she was wanting to see 'Corn' again. Ren sighed lightly and Kuu latched onto it, throwing a fit. _"What are you sounding so depressed for? Didn't I just say this is likely a good thing? You should be happy that she's thinking so much of you, that she inadvertently cast some sort of spell! I love you and support you, but shouldn't you be working toward our dream future more enthusiastically? I want my second son to become my daughter already!"_ Ren listened as the man ranted and raved about how precious Kyoko was and how Kuon needed to add her to the family tree before someone else takes her. It seemed he was an obsessive parent over her as well already. It brought a smile to the boys face when he thought of Kyoko being spoiled by a parent for once. She deserved it more than anyone, after all. _"- can you even believe that?"_ Kuu was still going on about Kyoko when Ren finally spoke up.

"Dad, I don't think she cast some sort of spell with love in her heart or anything."

 _"What? And why not? You're a well-liked person I believe. Perhaps she had thought something like **'I** **wish we could have grown up together'** or something."_ Kuu suggested, pitching his voice a little higher to imitate Kyoko. Ren was neither amused nor convinced.

"If this had anything to do with her having some sort of love for me, it would have been resolved already."

_"Resolved? How so?"_

"I told her my feelings earlier today. If this was somehow rooted in feelings of love, then my confession would have caused a release of the spell, wouldn't it?"

 _"You did?!"_ Kuu asked excitedly. There was a crunching sound and Ren was sure the man had gotten up and started eating something while they talked. _"Well... even if that doesn't reverse the spell, it doesn't mean she won't recognize feelings for you. There's also the fact that magic is always strongest at night. Perhaps you will be back to normal by morning because of it?"_ Ren couldn't help but let Kuu's words build hope in his heart. He shook his head with a sigh.

"If we return to normal by morning, I'll believe it, but I would rather not get my hopes up for now." Ren tells him. Kuu began grumbling about how depressing his children could get at times.

 _"Well fine, we can set that idea aside for now. It sounds like boss has things well enough in control for the time being. I don't know why you were so worried about telling this to your mother."_ Ren shut his eyes tightly and let out the heaviest sigh yet. He really was not looking forward to this.

"Well, because I got in trouble with boss today, and he told me I had to call and confess my wrongdoings if I didn't want to get grounded from acting for the rest of my time dealing with this situation." the occasional crunching of Kuu eating stopped.

_"If you... I'm not sure I'm following, Kuon."_

"I... did something stupid today." Ren trailed off, his father staying silent for maybe ten seconds before the man all but demanded clarification. "During my last job for the day, filming was going a bit later than usual, and I didn't excuse myself at the allotted time. I didn't want to go back, to have to stop and leave and... I took another potion when I felt the first one wearing off. It made me really sick, and I barely kept from showing it until they finally wrapped up for the day. I can hardly remember leaving the set, let alone finding Mogami-san and...," Ren shook his head as he recalled seeing red when he found Kyoko struggling to pull her arm out of Sho's grasp. He wanted to break that kid's hand for even daring to touch her. It reminded him of that picture the president had shown him several days back. "I was lucky," he said a bit softly, "oh so lucky that Mogami-san had been able to take control of my situation and call the boss for help. Lucky that she was able to think with a clear head and stick by my side even when I had to show her an unsightly thing like throwing up in the middle of a parking garage. Lucky that she was able to get me to safety before we both changed back. I don't think I could ever thank her enough for all that she's done for me, and today only added layers and layers onto that. It was a stupid thing to do, but I was so focused on acting that I turned a blind eye to what the consequences could be." Ren let out another sigh and waited for his reprimanding... and waited... and waited. "Father?"

 _"That was very stupid of you, Kuon."_ the disappointment was evident in Kuu's voice. Even though the man wasn't in front of him, Ren couldn't help but lower his gaze to the floor in shame.

"I know."

 _"Not only is overdosing dangerous and often times lethal, magic medicine doesn't have nearly as much research and trial behind it as man's scientific medicine. It could turn you florescent blue for all we know, and that would be a best-case scenario! I understand your love and passion for acting, but that doesn't mean I agree with the sacrifices you make regarding your health and well-being. You can't act if you put yourself into a coma. You can't act if you're dead!"_ Kuu was undeniably upset, probably even shaking if Ren knew him as well as he thought.

"Should I get boss to flick my forhead for you?"

 _"This isn't a JOKE, Kuon!"_ Ren flinched at the hysterics in his father's voice, curling up tightly in the corner of the couch as he wrapped one arm around his legs, his free hand still pressing the phone tightly to his ear.

"I... I know, father. I'm sorry. I just... I'm sorry." Kuu sighed heavily on the other end, letting out a small curse while Ren imagined him running a hand through his hair in an attempt to calm himself a bit. His father didn't loose his temper often, especially with him, but he knew the man was probably struggling with his feelings on this situation quite a bit. "I'm sorry."

"I know you're sorry, Kuon. I don't want you to keep repeating yourself. I just need to...  **sigh**. I just need a second to process all this. You're fine now? No strange rashes or spots? Nothing hurt or aching?"

"Nothing but my pride and the shame I feel." Ren says softly, resting his cheek on his knees. Kuu let out a soft chuckle.

"Well, I think it's probably a good thing that you're feeling shame and some bruised pride. You won't do something like that again, will you? You'll take care of yourself properly?" The soft and hopeful tone in Kuu's voice brought a smile to Ren's lips.

"Yeah. I never want to go through that again. I don't like worrying Mogami-san or upsetting you." he admits, closing his eyes as his body relaxed again. Now that the confession and scolding were over, he felt so much lighter.

 

>@<   XoX   >@<   XoX   >@<   XoX   >@<

 

The girls were playing with all the dolls they had of Ren and Sho when Kyoko looked up and saw young Ren in the doorway, a conflicted look on his face as he watched Maria praise one of the Ren dolls for being so much more realistic and complex than the Sho dolls. His eyes shifted to connect with Kyoko's, but she felt far too embarrassed over the current scene and shifted her gaze away quickly. Walking in, he picked up one of the small plush dolls of himself. He had seen the large doll Kyoko gave Maria during the Grateful Party, but he had no idea just how many hidden representations of him there really were. He glanced down to the floor, seeing a Sho doll. Kyoko watched, shocked and amused as young Ren stepped on the crying face of the singer, squishing it over and over.

"Ts-Tsuruga-san, what are you doing?" She asked. Ren paused and glanced up at her, a pouting puppy face already in  effect.

"I can't squish him?" He asked. He sounded displeased. He really wanted to squish Sho that badly?

"No, that... It's not that you can't, but I don't think that's a very effective way to curse him." she says, waving her hands around awkwardly. Ren looked down at the doll again, half-way hidden by his foot, before he started digging his sock-covered toe into it more forcefully. Kyoko and Maria watched in quiet fascination. Was this an okay thing to do? Something felt oddly taboo about using one's foot to stomp on a curse doll.

"Fall in a thousand puddles and have endless nightmares where your voice doesn't work." Ren grumbled under his breath, finally lifting his foot and looking down at the doll with a look of triumph. That sounded like an adequate enough curse, he thought with a self-satisfied nod. Kyoko let out a small laugh as she held out another Sho doll to him. Ren glared at it, then glanced at her disapprovingly. "Why do you have so many of him?" he asked, obviously displeased. Kyoko giggled and pushed the doll into his hand. Ren decided to grip it's head like a stress ball. Again with the head. Did Ren want to hurt Sho's head that much?

"I don't have 'so many' of them. There's only around four I think?" Ren looked down, instantly spotting the other Sho dolls. All of them were far less impressive than the dolls she had made of himself, even the little ones that were of a similar nature (though that might be his own pride and bias speaking), but he still hated each and every one of them. It was a little satisfying to find there was a significantly larger amount of his own strewn about, many of them actually being quite accurate. It was a bit disconcerting, really. Was this the reason she knew his dimensions so well? Even with the obvious outnumbering of his own replicas, he didn't like thinking of her carrying any kind of representation of **that guy** with her. Annoyed beyond reason, he scooped up all the little blond Sho dolls and carried them over to the window. Kyoko watched with wide eyes, unable to move as Ren opened the window and dumped every last one of the singer's representations out into the cold dark world. The window shut again with a snap, and Ren smacked his hands together a few times to rid them of any dirt before he marched back over and sat down with the two girls, crossing his arms with a light huff. Kyoko's mind reeled. Was this how Ren showed his jealousy? Now that she thought about it, Ren started treating Sho with contempt a while back, hadn't he? He even got so mad that she refused to speak to her when she participated in his PV! That far back? That can't be right, can it?!

"Sorry about that, I just felt the sudden urge to get rid of some trash." He stated simply. Kyoko stood up quickly, suddenly enraged. Ren didn't like it. Why was she so upset over that stupid guy? The photo flashed in his mind again and he felt a very annoying headache coming on.

"That's no good, Tsuruga-san! You can't just throw trash out the window. That's called littering! And on President-san's property at that! It's disrespectful, I tell you! You're supposed to respect the land and properly dispose of your garbage!" Ren looked at her with surprise before slowly lowering his head.

"Sorry... I wasn't thinking properly." He grumbled somewhat quietly. Kyoko huffed lightly in annoyance.

"I should think not. Come on, let's go find them before they dirty the president's property. Maybe we can find a better way of disposing of them. Do you think burning them would be too gracious?" she asked as she looked over to Maria. The young Takarada hummed lightly in thought at that.

"It depends on how much respect you want to serve them. The worst case would be to simply throw them in the trash, dooming them to a life of grime and unpleasant things, but any feelings you put into cursing them might also find a way to make it back to you, like karma or something." she explains. Kyoko nodded her understanding as they walked. She had known she wouldn't keep the dolls forever. Voodoo dolls weren't meant to be a keepsake but a tool after all. Even so, she had been holding onto them for a while now. She had contemplated the possibility of disposing of them once she reached her goal, but her goals were a bit different than originally. Now, she cared more about acting than defeating Shotaro, though it was still on her mind as something to achieve on the side or as a consequence of her bright and shining future. Burning the Sho dolls seemed like a better option than disrespecting them and throwing them in the garbage. Even though Sho did whatever he pleased without a care for how it hurt those around him, it was true that it was that personality of his that allowed her to become the kind of person to enter the acting world. Kyoko glanced back at Ren, finding him following them out while he held a little Ren doll, rolling it around in his palm quietly. She was so weak to his adorable pouting face.

"Tsuruga-san?" he looked up with surprise at being called and Kyoko smiled as she tilted her head. "It's not really something you need to worry yourself over. We can surely find those dolls and dispose of them more properly." Ren gave a small smile at that. It hadn't been what had been bothering him. but he appreciated it all the same.

"Thank you, Kyoko-chan, but I was actually wondering why I seem to have something similar. Have you been cursing me as well?" Kyoko blushed brightly, wanting to snatch the Ren doll out of his hand but not wanting to do something so blatantly rude.

"It... I... I used to." She admitted sheepishly. Ren rose his eyebrows in curiosity and she blushed darker. "That is, back when we still despised one another, I was constantly thinking of how much I wanted you to acknowledge my abilities." she explained. "I still think such things... but not with the hopes that you would do so while weeping at my feet." Ren faltered for a step before he started laughing, holding his fist to his mouth as he turned his head away. Kyoko pouted and huffed as she turned away. He really did laugh at her too much.

It was quite late when they found the dolls, the two girls doing some kind if strange ritual to dispose of Sho's representations while Ren stood by and watched with silent satisfaction. Once everything was said and done, Lory and his assistant found them and sent them off to get ready for bed. Maria was upset when she was told that Ren couldn't stay in the same room as them for the night, though she begrudgingly agreed that is was fair for him to stay in the room right next door.

"I wonder if we could sneak into Ren-sama's room? He probably has a really cute sleeping face." Maria mused dreamily. Even if she decided to ship her big sister and Ren together, Maria still had a deep fondness and appreciation for Ren. Besides, if things didn't work out well between her two favorite people, she would accept the duty of being Ren's bride herself... Once she grew into a fine woman, of course.

"I don't think we should. I really don't want to make the president angry by breaking his rules." Kyoko said from the mattress that had been set up for her. She couldn't bring herself to admit that she had seen Ren's sleeping face already, even taken a picture of it. She wondered if he would cocoon himself like he had while he was Cain, or if he usually slept more openly like he had been when she captured that scret picture. Quietly, she pulled out her phone and peeked at the picture for only a second. He really did have a cute sleeping face. She blushed as she hugged her phone to her chest happily. She was still getting used to the idea that he saw her romantically and... she still hadn't told him her own feelings on the matter. She wondered if it was selfish and insensitive for her to do that. If she confessed to him and he left her without a reply... she would probably hate it. He hadn't shown any displeasure on her lack of reply, but this was Tsuruga Ren. He was an amazing actor, and a selfless and gentlemanly one at that. There was no way he would betray his feelings so easily should they run the risk of making someone uncomfortable. Maybe if he hated that person, but for a girl that he had no contempt for, he was sure to let them carry on blissfully unaware of his own discomfort. Kyoko sighed as she snuggled down more into the covers. "It's fine though, isn't it. We'll definitely get to see him in the morning, and we are actually supposed to be sleeping, so it shouldn't matter too much whether he sleeps in the same room or not." Kyoko pondered the possibility of whether he had to be separate because he hid his hair color behind that wig. Wigs weren't meant to be worn while sleeping after all. Come to think of it... contacts weren't really meant to either, unless specially designed to be left in or something. Did he sleep with them in usually? Darn it, now _she_ wanted to sneak into his room! Determined to put it out of her mind for now, Kyoko forcefully pulled the covers over her head. "The sooner we get to sleep, the sooner we get to wake up and see him." she huffs decisively. Maria gasped in realization at that before quickly squirming down into her own covers.

"I didn't even think about that! Onee-chan is so brilliant." Maria praised happily as she hugged her large Ren doll and tried to drift off to sleep.

 

>@<   XoX   >@<   XoX   >@<   XoX   >@<

 

As morning came and the girls woke up, Maria eagerly got ready for the day, even offering to help Kyoko do her hair.

"Ren-sama will be so surprised to be woken up by two adorable beauties." The young Takarada giggled as she spun to point at Kyoko. "Now is a perfect chance! Men are weakest mentally early in the morning and late at night!" Really, what was Lory allowing this girl to hear and see? Awkwardly, Kyoko allowed herself to be pushed about. Once she was clothed and her hair was done nicely, Maria dragged her out to the room next door. She was very careful to open the door slowly and quietly, sneakily pulling Kyoko over to the bed in the dark room. With the small little rays of sunlight reaching through the fabric of the curtains, the girls were brought pause as they found an empty and slightly disheveled bed. That was odd. Maria frowned deeply before leaving the room in silence. She was displeased that her scheme had been so easily thwarted. Had he already somehow known that the girls planned to ambush him in the morning?

Maria and Kyoko walked through the hall, heading toward the kitchen for some breakfast as Maria contemplated how Ren could have figured it out. She had devised the plan after they had all been sent to bed, so it couldn't be that she allowed herself to slip up and drop a hint or something. Was she simply predictable? Kyoko stopped abruptly and Maria let out a strangled sound as it caused her to jerk back due to still holding Kyoko's hand. It took a moment for her to figure out Kyoko was staring at something before she turned to find the living room held Kyoko's interest. Lory sat on the couch, arm propped up on the arm rest as he held his head up, sleeping soundly. That certainly wasn't a comfortable position. A man of Lory's wealth and caliber would surely have no shortage of beds he could rest in. The truly remarkable thing, however, was the sight of young Ren curled up on the couch next to him, sleeping soundly with the older man's hand resting on his sparkling blond locks. Both of them were still dressed in their pajamas, and Kyoko found herself wondering a the possibility that they had slept like that all night.

"Who's that with grandpa?" Maria voiced in confusion. Ren's eyes snapped open in an instant, bright green orbs staring at the two girls. Kyoko couldn't find a way to make herself move. Corn was a beautiful sight, even more so when she knew that this was the image of the boy underneath all the layers of 'Tsuruga Ren', the man she had unwittingly fallen in love with. The boy slowly sat up, looking uneasily at Maria. He hadn't meant to stay out in the open like this. He hadn't meant to be seen in this state by Lory's granddaughter. Those beautiful green eyes flicked to meet Kyoko's gaze, the boy relaxing just a bit. Kyoko smiled at the knowledge that she somehow brought him a smidgen of comfort. Still, Maria had seen him and was already questioning his origins and purpose for being there.

"Corn," Kyoko called to him, watching as he jolted in light surprise at the name but showed no real displeasure, "What are you doing here? Did you find out about my getting caught up in some strange curse?" She asked. The boy's eyes widened ever so slightly and Kyoko knew he had understood. A smile pulled at his lips before he nodded.

"I might not be of much help, but Kyoko-chan called out to me so I thought I should at least come by and give you a small blessing for support." He was speaking so softly, almost mumbling his words so as to keep his voice from standing out. Maria looked unimpressed, crossing her arms defiantly.

"What did you do to grandfather? Even if he's a very spirited old man, he shouldn't be sleeping in a place like that." Lory's granddaughter says with a disapproving tone. Corn looked back at Lory with a slight frown betraying his own worry.

"I... didn't mean for him to stay with me." He mumbles before shifting his eyes to stare at the ground. "Boss is especially good at projecting things like energy and a calming effect, but I was so eager for my own respite that I failed to take into account his nature of being unable to leave people alone for his own sake." the young girl looked between the two of them disapprovingly, her eyes flicking back and forth between her grandfather and this foreign boy.

"How long are you going to keep mumbling for?" Maria appeared to be quite peeved at the blond boy who had seemingly shown up out of nowhere. "/i'll accept that you came seeking comfort, but if you're a friend of grandfathers, you should have enough pride to speak clearly." she scolded heatedly. Corn smiled softly and nodded as Lory stirred, his head slipping out of it's perch on his hand before he sat up quickly, eyes tired but wide as the older man slowly took in his surroundings. Kyoko watched with curiosity as the president froze, eyes flicking between Corn and Maria mostly.

"Good morning, Maria." he settled for a somewhat natural greeting, ignoring Corn in favor of pulling at his granddaughter's attention. "Why do you look so upset so early in the day?" he asked with concern. The girl huffed and sent a pointed look at the boy still sitting on the couch.

"I don't like grandfather neglecting his health for some random boy." she states.

"Random... Don't be like that, Maria. He's the son of a very good friend of mine, and I feel a bit of personal responsibility for him." He explains quickly before having to pause and yawn. Kyoko had to wonder how much sleep the president really got. Corn slipped off the couch and turned to Lory, giving a swift bow of respect.

"Thank you for helping me, boss, but I don't want to over-stay my welcome." the boy says quickly. Lory looked like he wanted to object, holding himself back due to knowing Ren was trying to end the situation quickly.

"I'm glad you finally asked for my help, little bird. As I've said before, my door is always open should you need me." The president offers. Corn nodded and looked to Kyoko with a smile.

"Sorry I couldn't help with your curse, Kyoko-chan." he says, still maintaining that soft voice that was only maybe two levels above a whisper. Kyoko shook her head quickly.

"It's not Corn's fault," Kyoko noticed the president twitch slightly at the name before pausing and looking confused, "I'm thankful with just your wish to help." she says. Corn smiled and excused himself, running off somewhere in the house. Maria watched him go, frowning disapprovingly at the back of the strange blond boy.

"Did you call him Corn?"

"Did you call him 'little bird'?" Kyoko answered the president's question with a question, raising her eyebrows at the man curiously. The man smoother out his hair, trying to get it decent again as he explained.

"It's a nick-name I have for him, because he's like a little bird. I called him baby bird once, but he didn't appreciate it much." Kyoko could imagine not. Baby birds were awkward, weak and helpless after all. "Did he tell you his name, Kyoko?" The president asked. Kyoko looked up at the president curiously.

"It's normal to introduce yourself to someone you just met, right?" Lory stared back as he nodded slowly. Did she not recognize him? She had already seen Ren with blond hair. The only difference now was his contacts being taken out for bed-time. Surely, that isn't enough to keep her from realizing who he is.

"What a soft and weak person, mumbling like that the whole time. I can't believe onee-san is friends with such a timid person." Maria grumbled. Ah, so she had recognized him and claimed him to be a friend after all. For Ren to introduce himself as Kuon though....

"That can't really be helped, Maria-chan, sense Corn is a fairy. Fairies are naturally fragile and soft-spoken I should think," Lory's eyes snapped to stare at Kyoko in disbelief. A fairy? Where had that come from? Before that, she was saying Corn instead of Kuon. It couldn't be that she was having difficulty pronouncing his name. She still spoke in a very natural and fluid way as an adult. Why Corn? Did Ren give the american pronunciation of his name or something? That didn't explain the fairy tidbit though. But... hadn't she called Ren's mother 'the fairy queen' just yesterday? Why? What was he missing? Maria and Kyoko were having an in-depth conversation on the nature of fairies, but Lory couldn't find himself to listen and interject. When had Kuon told Kyoko his name? When had he given this story about being a fairy? His thoughts were interrupted by Ren walking back into the room, now donning his disguise as Tsuruga Ren and wearing proper day clothes. As soon as he greeted them Maria latched onto him, fervently telling him about the strange boy that had made her grandfather sleep on the couch and in such an uncomfortable-looking position.

"Have you never had someone come over in search of comfort before, Maria?" Ren asked. The girl looked surprised for a moment before turning thoughtful, softly admitting that there had indeed been a couple of times. Ren nodded his encouragement. "The president used to be well known for his ability to project comfort and sooth the mind. Even the most guarded people could be coaxed into relying on him and drift into sleep." he explains. Maria looked to him with surprise and admiration. Kyoko looked like she was suspicious of him. He smiled softly and watched the tension in all three of the children's bodies ease slightly.

"Love can make an incredibly comfortable space for anyone." he said fondly. Kyoko and Maria groaned at his obsession, but Ren only looked amused. The boy was already fully used to his beliefs in love, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this didn't turn out too dull of a chapter. I'm personally very bad at carrying a conversation, as I've experienced that people don't really want to sit and listen to the things I have to say, but I often find myself rambling in my writing. It's a difficult habit to catch and break, even when at the forefront of my mind.
> 
> I struggled with trying to figure out what else I could add quite a bit, but ultimately this seemed like the best way to go. There are a few things I wish to get into with this story, but I also don't want to drag things out unnaturally. Decisions decisions....
> 
> I don't know if I should get super into it, but I thought it would make sense for a friend as close as Kuu to know of Lory's dabbling in magic and the like, especially if he also had some relation to magic. I think it makes a lot of sense for Lory to have some therapeutic ability. It fits well with his fondness for positive emotions (especially love), and his desire to be a "mother figure" (lol) for Ren and Kyoko as much as possible. As for Ren, I'll probably get into his "purification" abilities and why he no longer has them later, though I'm pretty sure I put in enough hints for people to get a pretty good guess.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)


	9. Reconciliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I do not own any of the characters of "Skip Beat!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a long time sense I posted the last chapter. I'm getting married in a little over a month and haven't had a lot of brain power to spare for this as of late. Here you are, though. I hope that you may enjoy this chapter.

Six days. They had been dealing with this curse for almost a whole weak now. Young Ren sighed as he sat on a bench and swung his feet idly. Kyoko was wrapping up her filming for Sacred Lotus soon, Yashiro currently with her seeing as Ren was already taken care of. It seemed he wasn't worried about once he was already in his child form. He couldn't exactly blame them after his stunt several days ago, but it had been _one time_! Surely, he must be considered trustworthy again _by now_. He leaned back and let his head lightly thump against the wall, stewing over the multitude of things tumbling around in his mind this past week.

Kyoko had responded reasonably well to his confession... as well as the fact that it consequently gave her the information of his own romantic feelings toward her. He felt hope budding in his chest and mercilessly squashed it, knowing that it was a less painful death for the flower than the horrid fire it was sure to be tossed into one day. He was glad she wasn't reacting negatively, though. He had often thought of the worst case scenarios, the most common one being her avoiding him for the rest of his life, killing him slowly with her hatred and silent rejections. This... this was so much better, and he was relived that he had so drastically misjudged her ability to take things in stride. Sure, she had her little freak-outs, but they were mostly bemoaning her own behavior over something. She was surprisingly sensitive to other peoples' situations and feelings. That brought him to the next big issue. How would she react to finding out Kuu is his father.

He could imagine a number of scenarios for that. She could be hurt that they both hid it from her, essentially using her as a means to reconnect a father and son. She could be excited, though he somewhat doubted this one. Maybe as an initial response, but he saw her most likely acting horrified sooner or later. Knowing her and her desire to keep things orderly and respectable, she would likely push Kuu away out of respect for her senpai, which would be sad for all three of them. Ren liked having her call his father her own, and he knew for a fact that Kuu also preferred that she continue that way. The older man was incredibly fond of her, to the point of badgering Ren about their relationship throughout the end of their first phone call, and continuing to do so throughout the past several days when young Ren called to talk to him and Julie. Most important of all, Kyoko would be less happy herself. If she learned of Ren and Kuu's relations and distanced herself out of respect, she would essentially be denying herself the father figure she had been enjoying briefly, and Ren definitely did not want to be the catalyst in such a thing. Should he write out a letter, explaining everything in one go? Would it be convincing if he didn't explain it personally? But she might try to run as soon as he told her, without listening to the reasons behind their actions. Letters allowed a person to give all the information tangibly, so that the recipient could consult it whenever needed, top and go as they saw fit.

Ren sighed and then tensed as a shadow suddenly loomed over him. Looking up slowly, he couldn't stop the frown as he was faced by none other than Sho Fuwa, decked in another flashy outfit of his, hands on his hips as he stared down his nose.

"You lost, kid? Go to the police station." he said, frowning heavily as he shifted to cross his arms across his chest. Ren stared quietly, wondering how to approach this situation. It was obvious that Sho was displeased with something, but he wasn't acting malicious toward him for once. Not really.

"I'm not lost." Ren said simply, deciding to go with a straightforward approach for now. Sho rose his eyebrows, not looking too convinced.

"No? Then what's a kid siting around here for? I doubt you're a celebrity, and obviously you're not a worker. Where's your parents?" Just then, Sho's manager came walking up, faltering a bit as she saw who the singer was talking to. She seemed quite surprised at the sight of a child, and Ren was mentally cursing his luck for interactions. Why did it have to be this guy of all people?

"My parents are elsewhere. I'm waiting for my... babysitter." he crossed his arms in annoyance, not really liking to insinuate that he needed a babysitter in the first place, let alone to Fuwa.

"Your babysitter?" Sho scoffed before a flash of pink came running up.

"Corn, there you are!" Kyoko sighed out in relief, using his fairy name so as to cover their current predicament better. Sho and Shoko were stunned into silence as they saw the girl turning the young boy this way and that to check him over before she looked to them suspiciously. Slowly, she pulled on a fake smile. "Oh, hello Sho. It's... nice to see you again." she ground out, obviously finding it far from nice. The singer scoffed and sneered down at her.

"I thought you were actually moving up, sense you took that guy's manager, but in reality you're still just doing these kinds of pointless things." he snarked. Meanwhile, Shoko was staring at Ren curiously before her eyes widened.

"Kyoko-chan, is this perhaps Ren's little brother?" she asked before Sho's head snapped to her with a heavy glare.

"What?" he snapped, not liking the idea of Kyoko getting even closer to that guy. Ren held in his laughter at the look on the boy's face.

"Brother? Oh, um..."

"Come on, Kyoko. Now that you're done with your job, we can go see dad." he said, wanting to neither confirm nor deny any relations with his adult self, but still enjoying the thought of Sho believing Kyoko was slowly being incorporated to Ren's family. The singer started to protest and reach out to grab her, but Ren jerked her away and got between them before he started pushing her along.

"D-dad? Wait Corn!" she started to object, only for him to urge her along more insistently. Sho started coming after them and Ren grabbed her hand again as he broke into a run, pulling her around the corner and then into the women's restroom. Kyoko tried to catch her breath, then faltered as she realized where they were. At least there weren't any other women in here at the time. "Ts-Tsuruga-san! You can't come in here, it's the ladies' room!" she tells him, horrified. Ren frowned at the door thoughtfully.

"That's fine. Little kids often need to be brought into the restroom with their guardian, regardless of gender." he tells her as he pulls his hoodie out of his bag and puts it on, already trying to think of the best way to change his appearance and sneak past the singer. Kyoko looked like she wanted to object and point out that he wasn't really a _little_ kid, but held it back as she knew that wasn't really the current issue. Instead, they needed to figure out how to get out without Sho noticing them. He had seen young Ren, and he would almost _definitely_ recognize Kyoko after she transformed back to her younger self. Just as she had been pondering it, she felt the swirling in her gut that signified that her transformation was approaching. She explained as much to Ren before slipping into one of the stalls. One shrinking and change later, young Kyoko emerged wearing a cute green sundress and little black slip-on shoes, a thoughtful look on her face as she held her wig.

"He'll recognize me if I go out like this, but do you think I could slip past if I put this on?" she asks, setting the wig on her head to show what it might look like. Ren hummed and frowned thoughtfully.

"Here, why don't we switch?" he suggests, taking his own off. Kyoko's eyes sparkled with delight just at the sight of his sparkling blond locks, and Kuon chuckled. At least she liked the way he looked. The two children traded wigs and pulled them on, Kuon helping her to ensure all the black hairs were tucked under the short dark brown wig while Kyoko helped pin the slightly too big adult's wig to Ren's head. Finished with their assessment of one another, the two peaked over the sink counter at the large window. Kyoko giggled.

"You actually look a little like a girl, Tsuruga-san." she says with obvious humor in her voice. Kuon pouted lightly.

"Yeah, I was told stuff like that a lot as a kid." he grumbled as he quickly pulled out the pins and took off the wig. Kyoko looked over to him curiously, watching as he pulled a contact container out of his own bag and took out the brown colored contacts. Did he get picked on for his beautiful looks a lot back then? He was even more beautiful with his natural colors, though. Smiling encouragingly as he put away the wig and contacts, she reached out and grabbed his hand, brightening even more when he lifted a startled expression up to her.

"I like the way you look, even with hair that makes you look like a girl, and especially when Corn looks like himself." she states, watching with interest as the blond boy turned a cute shade of pink. She smiled, silently knowing that she had such an effect on the boy she loved. Now that she had become more accustomed to the thought that Ren/Corn actually liked her that way, she was able to notice the little tells of his affections. It was nice, being able to appreciate the adorable blush on his face for what it was. He was happy from her words. Feeling bold, she leaned in and kissed his cheek, grinning even wider as his pink face turned bright red. "Come on, I'll make sure the coast is clear. She says, grabbing his hand and pulling him to the doorway. They could here people outside the door, becoming clear when Kyoko pulled it open a crack to peek outside.

"What do you want me to do? Am I supposed to drag her out here or something?"

"Just tell me if she's in there." Sho and his manager were having a small argument outside the bathroom it seemed.

"What do you plan to do if she is? Don't tell me you plan on standing outside here in wait of her, because I'm not going to make a scene by dragging her out here for you. I'm willing to support you in whatever way I can Sho, but I'm not going to act like some brute or something." she tells him firmly. Kyoko looked back to Kuon thoughtfully, the boy waiting patiently before an idea struck her and she leaned in close.

"I'm going to make a distraction, so go ahead and slip out. Wait for thirty seconds, then slip out and come from behind them, acting like you were looking for me. We should come up with different names. Um... You can be... Haruto*!" she decides happily. Ren instantly snorted and Kyoko scowled at him with a pout.

"Sorry, it's just... Is that supposed to be reference to my 'flying' or something?" he asked, grinning at her. Kyoko huffed and looked away as she crossed her arms.

"Then... T-Tamaki*?" she peaked over to him uncertainly. Kuon chuckled and shook his head.

"I like either one. I just found it cute and incredibly like you. Just because I laugh, doesn't mean I hate it. Quite the opposite. It's because I enjoy these things about you." He admits. Kyoko blushed and looked down, shuffling her feet lightly. Maybe this was payback for embarrassing him with that kiss on the cheek... something that she was now even more embarrassed about now that she thought about it. Kuon chuckled and squeezed her hand. "I'll go by Haruto, but only if you go by Makaira*." he tells her. Kyoko's amber eyes snapped up to meet his, wide as she was assaulted by the brightest smile she had seen to date. The young boy was practically giving off tangible light with how happy he looked, and Kyoko found herself believing the name he wanted to give her while she nodded her agreement. Timidly she nodded and then closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she pulled her hand out of his. Kuon had to make a great effort not to grab it again. She was obviously preparing herself, and he didn't want to make it any more difficult for her. Her face visibly cooled from all the excitement she had been feeling, and then she opened her eyes again and developed a thoughtful frown.

"Tsu... Haruto-kun... do you know how to make yourself cry?" even as she was asking it, she felt ridiculous. Of course Ren knew how to do that! Even with the obvious question, he didn't make fun of her or anything, only giving a small smile and a nod.

"I'm by no means an expert at it. A lot of the characters I play show grief and distress in ways other than tears, but I can still do it when needed. Are you... wanting to cry for this scene?" he asked. Kyoko hummed with a nod.

"I thought it would be the best way, sense a crying child is able to hold a lot of attention, even for people like Shotaro." She explained. Kuon -now acting as Haruto- hummed lightly in thought. It was a good idea.

"Okay... well the most common ways are to think of tough situations. Some people imagine losing someone dear to them, while others think of being helpless and weak, or you can remember a very sad and difficult time in your childhood." he explained before going quiet and getting a far off look in his eyes. Kyoko stared at him curiously for a moment before she noticed his eyes start to water a bit. She watched with fascination as his green eyes flicked up to meet her own, swimming slightly as his eyebrows knit slightly and he sniffled. Seeing the pain in his eyes was all it took for her own eyes to start watering, feeling a bit jarred when the boy's expression snapped back to happy. "Yeah, you've got it!" he says excitedly. Kyoko wanted to object and say she had only been responding to him, but she knew she needed to get out there while she still had hold of her tears. Stepping out and sniffling as she rubbed one eye, she quietly noted the sudden halt of the bickering between Sho and Shoko as she started walking away.

The two of them took a moment to compose themselves before they couldn't stand it anymore and rushed over to the sniffling little girl.

"Hey, hey, are you alright?" Shoko tried first, trying to console the little girl gently. She didn't really have a lot of experience with small children, but who could just ignore a crying little girl? Makaira gave a soft little hick-up as she shook her head.

"I'm lost," she whimpered out, "I lost Haruto-kun, and now I can't find him anywhere! What if I can't find him? What if I'm lost forever and I die in this big weird place?" tears spilled out of her eyes and she started to cry louder, rubbing both her little fists over her eyes sadly. Sho awkwardly pat her head and Kyoko froze up for a moment, looking up at him with shock in her watery eyes. She noticed the singer shake his head quickly, as if ridding some ridiculous thought before he tried to console her.

"Don't cry.... uh... you're probably here with your mom or something, right? What's your name?" Kyoko sniffed, looking down as she tried to not think too much about how odd it was to be comforted by him for once.

"I'm-"

"MAKAIRA!" the girl's head snapped up at the shout and the two adults turned as a blond-haired boy came running up, looking frantic. "I found you! How did you end up way over here? The restroom was right next door." he says, looking at her with concern. Makaira's eyes watered even more as she took on the expression of relief and launched herself against him, hugging him tight.

"Haruto-kun! I was so scared! I... couldn't find the restroom, and then the halls got more and more confusing, and I... *sniff* Then when I managed to find it, I wa already lost and you weren't showing up when I called and *sniff* Huruto-ku~n!" she cried. The boy softly pat her head and looked up to the two stunned adults, giving an awkward smile.

"Thank you for finding Makiara-chan, and sorry for any trouble she might have caused you." he says, surprisingly mature for such a young child. Sho frowned lightly as he looked over the two kids. There was a strange nagging in the back of his mind that something was off.

"Is there some kind of babysitting event or something? Why are there so many kids around today? This is a studio, not a daycare." he grumbled and turned to storm off before pausing and turning to the little kids.

"You, Makaira is it? Did you see a girl and some little boy in the restroom?" he asked. Makaira's eyes widened as she turned and she shook her head quickly at him.

"Boys can't go into the girls' room. That's bad!" she said innocently. Sho clicked his tongue in annoyance and rolled his eyes as he started stalking off. Haruto looked down at her and smiled before pulling away gently and offering his hand.

"Come on Makaira, I think it's time for us to head back for the day." he tells her with a smile. Makaira giggled and nodded as she took his hand.

"What about your disguise? Yashiro-san still doesn't know, right?" she asked. The boy hummed thoughtfully as they walked, swinging their joined hands lightly as Kyoko tried not to blush too hard over it.

"Yeah, he doesn't know, but... maybe we should tell him after all. But... even if I admit to him that I'm not fully Japanese, I don't think I'm ready to tell him who I really am yet." he says softly. Kyoko peered at him curiously.

"You mean the fairy prince Corn?" she asked curiously. Kuon sighed and nodded as he dropped the small temporary character.

"Yeah but... Kyoko, I'm not really a fairy, you know."

"I know, but you're a fairy prince to me." she chirps happily. Kuon smiled softly in response before shaking his head quickly. He needed to be honest with her. Clutching her hand tighter so she couldn't run away from him, he steeled himself for his latest confession.

"When I say 'who I really am'... Kyoko, I... I'm father's son." They slowed to a stop and Kyoko looked to him with confusion for a moment, before realization slowly filled her widening eyes and her mouth gaped open.

"Father... K-Kuu sensai's-"

"Before you go any further," Kuon interrupted suddenly, holding up his free hand to tell her to wait, "I want you to know that I definitely do _not_ want this to change your feelings and the dynamic between you and father. He really loves you as his own child, and it would break his heart for you to try and distance yourself from him by calling him by that title instead. I... I would also like to say that I prefer if you can call him father as well." He looked to her timidly. Kyoko pursed her lips uncertainly, but nodded her understanding.

"Okay, I... I'll do my best. It... It's going to take a bit of getting used to the thought though...." she admits. Kuon smiled and nodded.

"That's fine. As long as you're still willing to accept father and call on him, I'm sure he'll be happy."

"So... does that mean that you're Nii-san?" she asked, deciding to come back to her relationship with the senior actor later. A shiver visibly zipped up Kuon's spine and through his limbs before he turned a deep frown to her.

"Please don't. Not until you've rejected me fully. I'd rather not have my mentality so similar to Cain's." He states as Kyoko gawked at him.

"Reject you?" she yelled incredulously, shrinking down when a couple people passing them in the hallway turned to frown disapprovingly and started muttering about how children had gotten in the building. Kyoko whipped back to look at him again, frowning heavily. "Why do you think I'm going to reject you?" she hissed under her breath. Kuon blink back at her several times before he started up his brain again.

"Aren't you? I knew I was bound to be rejected the moment you realized the person who confessed to you was me, but I was happy that you didn't decide to kick me out of your life once you knew." he says, giving a light smile to show his sincerity. Kyoko stared at the blond, quietly trying to comprehend it all.

"I'm not going to reject you." Her face was slowly darkening from embarrassment at her admission, but she couldn't let him think she was going to reject him!

"You... you're not?" Kuon asked, his heart starting to race at the implications of that sentence. It couldn't be... could it? Could he really be so lucky? Could he really be so blessed? Kyoko shook her head quickly and smiled up at him, turning to face him more fully.

"I... I like... Kuon...." she mumbled out timidly, peeking up at him through the bangs of the dark brown wig. Kuon's green eyes flicked over her face, searching for some kind of catch before he slowly reached up and slipped off the wig.

"A-Again... Say it again, as Kyoko." he murmurs, his voice shaking slightly with... fear? Anticipation? He wasn't sure. All he _was_ sure about right now, was that he wanted her to tell him it again. He wanted to make sure without a doubt that she truly felt the same. Kyoko stood before him with bright red cheeks, amber eyes fluttering cutely as she fidgeted in place.

"I like... I really Like Kuon." she says, her voice a little more steady this time. A smile slowly pulled at the boy's lips as he reached out and cradled her cheek.

"I love Kyoko." he nearly whispered the confession as he took one step closer to her. Kyoko felt herself leaning in naturally, a soft breath escaping her as she saw his own eyes starting to slide closed while he tilted his head. If that wasn't an open invitation, she didn't know what was. Holding in an eager little giggle of excitement, she closed her eyes and the distance between them simultaneously. Kuon's lips were soft and his entire presence was like a warm blanket, his arms wrapping around her slowly as she held her hands firmly on his chest. They parted for a breath, which allowed Kuon to whisper "I love you" before capturing her lips yet again. Kyoko felt her body heat up and tingle, unable to control the smile stretching across her lips as Kuon repeated his feelings for her as he kissed her again and again. However, all good things must come to an end. The two were suddenly wrenched apart by a horrid screeching sound, further separated as Kyoko was jerked out of Kuon's embrace. Blinking wide and confused, he looked up to find his faithful manager holding a startled and frozen Kyoko far away from him, glaring daggers down at the boy.

"Who are you? What to you think you're doing to innocent little Kyoko?" Yashiro demanded heatedly. Kuon's green eyes slid to Kyoko, the girl slowly coming to understand what had just happened and covering her mouth with both hands as giggles started to erupt in her chest. Looks like he _really_ needed to come out with his american lineage now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me a lot of effort to keep in mind that Sho and Shoko aren't really BAD people. If anything, I would say they are incredibly selfish and self-centered, but not necessarily bad. Sho really has been showing growth in the series as of late, though I still really dislike him as a person. I don't see him liking kids per say, but he would still probably try to help a crying child. If nothing else, to get them to be quiet.
> 
> Once again, I tried doing my research for name accuracy and such.
> 
> 1* Haruto: this is a really nice and pretty name in my opinion. Often meaning something along the lines of "soaring sun" or "great flight" or something similar.  
> 2* Tamaki: This name refers to him being a precious gem or jewel. It could either be a reference to the stone "Corn" gave her, or she could be stating that she sees him as precious and valuable to her.  
> 3* Makaira: This is a girl's name that's supposed to mean something like "to bring great happiness". He's telling Kyoko that she brings him joy and happiness, which I thought would be incredibly sweet so.... 
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it.


	10. Magic Lost and Magic Gained

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I do not own "Skip Beat!" but I sure do love it.
> 
> Yashiro caught the undisguised Kuon and Kyoko kissing in the hallway. Now that Kuon is faced with a very protective manager, he has to explain his appearance.  
> Kyoko learns more about magic and how it has affected the lives of some of her dearest loved ones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I've put more time into this chapter than any of the others. It's actually been... I think four days now? I'm not sure. Time moves so strangely for me, especially while writing.  
> Anyway, without further ado, chapter 10.

Kuon frowned lightly as his eyes flicked between the girl he loved and their faithful manager. He had been starting to consider telling Yashiro about his mixed lineage, but this was far from a time he would feel comfortable with broaching the subject. Kyoko squirmed lightly in Yashiro's arms and the bespectacled man gently placed her on the ground behind him, making sure to keep himself as a barrier between the two children and glare down at the obviously foreign boy.

"I don't know where you came from, boy, but I suggest you leave this girl alone if you know what's good for you." Yashiro threatened. He didn't particularly enjoy the thought of having to threaten of use force on a child, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and he had just walked in on a very desperate time. He knew taking that call while sending Kyoko out to fetch Ren had potential to go poorly, but _this?_  The girl had been assaulted by some... some boy from _who knows_ where! Most likely a European country, if his bright hair and eyes were anything to go by, but the United States and Canada also had a variety of people. Maybe France? The people are known to be less modest there, if he recalled correctly, kissing as greetings and meetings and whatnot. The kid wasn't responding, so Yashiro started to wonder if he even spoke Japanese. Who was irresponsible enough to leave a foreign child to run around when he didn't even know the language? "Do you not speak Japanese?" The manager tried to ask slowly, though still keeping his eye on the silent boy. The blond kid shifted his gaze to Kyoko who was currently peaking out from behind Yashiro's legs, and the man narrowed his eyes suspiciously, just waiting for the boy to try something. Kyoko hid her face in her hands and Yashiro felt rage boil within him, assuming she was starting to realize just what had happened to her. She must be traumatized! Hoping to console her a bit, he pat the girl's head and gave a soft assurance that he wouldn't let the boy touch her again before shooting another glare at the culprit, making shooing motions with his hands in an attempt to tell the boy he wasn't welcome. The little blond didn't move, frowning up at him defiantly. Yashiro frowned in kind at him disapprovingly before scooping Kyoko up again and starting to walk away, only to stop and spin on the boy when he heard little footsteps following them. "Go on, shoo! I won't warn you again. Get out of here before I have security hand you over to the police station. Where is your guardian? Gau~rdi~an~?" he said slowly and a bit forcefully. The boy frowned deeply and crossed his arms while a couple people passed in the hallway, obviously looking over with confusion at the strange scene. Luckily, no one had stopped and demanded answers yet.

"Yukihito-san, can we please wait until we're somewhere more private for this conversation?" Kuon ground out with a very forced smile. That got the manager to pause, staring at the blond child with bewilderment and uncertainty.

"R-Ren?"

"Actually, I'm going by Haruto for the time being, but the exact name isn't really important at the moment." Kuon stated, still holding his forced smile. Kyoko let out a tiny snort and slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle it as she realized the secret implication of that sentence. She hadn't wanted to give anything away to Yashiro, letting Ren go about the issue of his identity his own way, but she just couldn't help herself when she realized exactly why he had phrased it that way. Yashiro looked to the girl with shock, then back to Kuon, repeating two more times before giving a single slow nod and carefully setting Kyoko back down on the ground. He watched with curiosity and fascination as Kyoko happily walked over and grabbed... Haruto's hand, making Yashiro wonder even more about what exactly was going on. Clearly he was missing something. Was this a disguise Ren had come up with? That... seemed to be what he was implying, but something still didn't seem quite right. He was definitely missing something.

 

The three made it to the parking garage and into the car with relative silence, though Yashiro didn't start the car yet in favor of twisting in his seat to look back at the two children there. Kyoko squeezed Haruto's hand in encouragement, to which he responded with his own squeeze and a deep breath.

"Yu-... Yashiro-san," the blond started carefully, for some reason deciding to be a bit more formal now, "I... I'm not fully Japanese." Kuon said carefully before looking up to the manger, his face a bit timid. "I... actually grew up in The United States for the first fifteen years of my life, though my father is from Japan and President Lory is actually an old family friend. I...," Kuon paused and trailed off as he tried to construct a decent explanation without revealing too much. Even if he felt it may be good to tell Yashiro about his mixed race, it still stood that no-one was supposed to know who exactly he was, about his relations with his father. The older man seemed to be taking it quite well so far, mostly sitting quietly as he looked over the two children, but he didn't look overly upset or anything.

"So... you're really Ren, and Ren isn't really Japanese." Yashiro clarified slowly. Kuon scratched at his head uncertainly.

"Well... to a certain extent I suppose. My father was born and raised here in Japan, but he moved to the U.S. to start a life with my mother, so I am technically part Japanese... though I guess that depends on individual prejudice. As for being Ren... that is the character I created for myself, a... an ideal image that I wanted to fill. Tsuruga Ren is the stage name I adopted, but I'm not really sure how much of that I can say is myself." he admits softly. Yashiro looked to Kyoko now, noticing the way the girl was busying herself by playing with a little string on her dress.

"And Kyoko-chan already knew about this?" he asked carefully, though he could already pretty much tell based off the way she interacted with the boy.... Yashiro's face paled lightly as he suddenly realized he had broken up the very thing he had been hoping to happen for so long! Kyoko and Ren had finally kissed, and he had come in to destroy a perfect little moment of his biggest relationship-ship! Seeing Yashiro's pale face, Kyoko panicked a bit as she assumed he was upset she had been told before him. He had been devoted as Ren's manager for far longer than she had been around after all!

"I only discovered it by chance, Yashiro-san, promise! I... It's just that I happen to have met... C-K-... H-Haruto-san when I was younger, and I recognized some of his features when the changed back into a child.... and recognized some similarities from when I had run into him somewhat recently as an adult." she fidgeted lightly, wondering just how much she was allowed to say. He had told her that he wanted to hide his direct ancestry with his father for the time being, but was she allowed to talk about the fairy stuff? She still wasn't completely convinced he didn't have any magic origins, and she didn't know if Yashiro would even buy that kind of explanation. Lory had shown a surprising amount of knowledge and power with magic due to the circumstance, but it was obviously meant to be hidden from outsiders, or they wouldn't be having to try so hard to hide the fact that they were cursed into being children all over again. She was honestly surprised with how well Yashiro had taken it so far, though she suspected he might have some relation with magic due to his strange ability to short-circuit electronics with a mere touch.

Yashiro looked between the two somewhat fidgety children for a moment longer before he let out a heavy sigh as he finally turned back around and started up the car. He could tell there was still a lot they weren't telling him, but Ren had always been a very private person. He supposed he should just be happy that their relationship was finally developing... though he had apparently ruined a precious moment for the pair. Yashiro let out a slow wine as he hung his head, causing Kyoko to inquire about his well-being, the kind person that she is.

"I'm fine, Kyoko-chan. It's just..." another heavy and somewhat dramatic sigh, " I can't believe I ruined such a happy and joyous moment between you and Ren, and right when you two were finally letting your relationship blossom." he whimpered and forced himself to keep his eyes forward as he stewed in his ignorance and misery while driving. Kyoko turned bright red. It wasn't difficult to realize what he was talking about.

"That... I-It's alright Yashiro-san. We shouldn't have been doing that kind of thing in such a public place anyway." she mumbled out timidly, startling slightly when she felt Kuon grab her fidgeting hand again, keeping them in her lap. The boy smiled quietly in reassurance, but Kyoko just felt more embarrassed. Even so, she couldn't bring herself to untangle their fingers, instead holding his hand in both of hers. Silently, she wondered how different it would be to do this as adults. She knew Ren had larger hands than her due to her extensive body data on him, but she couldn't really recall a time that she had held his hand quietly like this. The only time that even came close was during their time as the Heal siblings, but even that was somewhat brief and shrouded in a haze of all the other things happening at that time. She made a small scoot closer to him before carefully leaning over to lay her head on his shoulder, looking up at him with a soft blush when he turned his head to glance at her. As if to encourage the little gesture, he smiled that brilliant loving smile at her and lightly nuzzled the top of her head. Yashiro silently bit his tongue as he drove, taking a few excited glances into the rear-view mirror. They were so perfect together! He didn't even care how much he had to work to ensure their schedules lined up and worked smoothly together, it was all worth it for such a beautiful scene to unfold between them in his presence. Selfishly, he was happy that some unknown force had brought such a weird and fantastical curse on them. So focused on the excitement of the two finally coming together, he didn't even have any brain power left to spare on Ren's new revelation. Who cared where he came from? He was an amazing person, and he perfectly complimented the perfect girl beside him. Yashiro just felt happy to see the wonderful couple find such happiness in one another.

 

* * *

 

 

"I'll miss playing with Ren-kun and Kyo-chan." Maria said a bit sadly. Apparently, she was going to spend time with her father for a few days.

"But Maria-chan, don't you want to spend time with your father?" Kyoko asked worriedly. She was under the impression that their relationship had been improving after the Grateful Party last year. Now she was starting to grow concerned that perhaps it wasn't faring well. Maria laid Kyoko's worries to rest quickly with a shake of her head and a happy smile.

"I'm very excited to spend time with father, but I will still miss two of my favorite people. Also, we don't know how long you'll be dealing with this curse, and I finally was able to play with you both." she stated sadly. Kyoko frowned at that. Was Maria feeling lonely before because of their busy schedules as adults?

"Oh, Maria-chan...." Kyoko cooed as she hugged the other girl, who eagerly returned it.

"We're always happy to play with you Maria-chan," Ren spoke up encouragingly, "even as adults. We might be busy a lot of the time, but you can always tells us when you want to have a play date. I'm sure Yashiro would be happy to give us a few hours break from work every now and then. Just let us know when, and we'll figure something out, okay?" The young Takarada looked aprehensive at first, but then slowly smiled and nodded happily before giving each of them another hug and running off.

"Bye Ren-kun! Bye Kyoko-chan! I'll see you later!" she giggled as Ruto followed after her. Lory smiled as he watched the interaction and goodbyes. Those two would surely make amazingly loving parents once they got over their own fears and self-inflicted restraints. Alone with the two children again, Lory cleared his throat a bit to get their attention.

"With Maria off to spend time with her father, I believe this is an opportune time for you to spend time with your own father, Kyoko." he stated, taking a sip of some drink Ruto brought him. Kyoko looked up at the company president in confusion.

"Um, but I don't know my father, president-san. My mother doesn't even know where he went." she explained, a little unsure about the topic. Then again, Lory already showed ability in magic. Did he somehow possess the ability to find her father as well? But why would he do that now of all times? This was the worst time to try and connect with her estranged father! Lory shook his head with a chuckle and Kyoko wondered what he could find so funny about this.

"No, I don't mean the man missing from your history and life. I was actually referring to the man that has all but adopted you as his own son." he explained simply. Kyoko looked puzzled for a moment before her eyes grew wide and her mouth opened in a small 'o' of wonder.

"K-... Father is coming back to Japan?" she asked excitedly, only barely remembering Kuon's earlier assurance that the Hollywood star would prefer she continue to call him so fondly. If Lory noticed, he didn't comment on it. Kyoko's excitement then froze as she realized that would mean he would find her in this strange state. "But I'm under this curse! How am I supposed to explain this to him?" she cried, grabbing her head as she fretted over it all. Not only would she have to explain her appearance, but what about _Kuon_? She looked over to the currently disguised boy with uncertainty. Ren had briefly run into them while Kuu was in the country last time, but... it didn't feel right to flit around the boy's father while he himself had to continue acting like a stranger.

"That's all taken care of, Kyoko." Lory's voice snapped her back to attention, looking over to him with surprise. Seeing that she was listening, Lory nodded and continued. "Kuu has been a very good friend of mine for a long time now, so this is hardly the first time he's been tossed into a strange circumstance regarding magic and curses and the like. Even if he hadn't... well, I suppose that's for the people involved to tell you. In any case, he's already aware of your situation. That's actually the main reason he decided to come back to Japan for a while. He wanted to fly in as soon as he found out, but his schedule had to be arranged accordingly, and he couldn't pull himself away until now. That's part of the reason I encouraged Maria to go see her father. He'll be in disguise, but it's always best to avoid as many risks as possible." he explained before shooting back the last of his drink. Kyoko had to admit that she _really_ wanted to spend time with her father figure, but.... "But, what about Tsuruga-san?" Lory paused and looked up from his phone he had opened, staring at her with surprise and curiosity.

"What about Ren?" he hedged slightly, wondering if she really might know about Kuu and Ren's actual relationship. His eyes flicked to the boy for a moment, but Ren wasn't showing any real reaction to the question.

"Well..., it feels a bit rude to leave him by himself while I go and have fun with father...." she explained slowly, looking to Ren with uncertainty. Did even Lory not know about it? No, that couldn't be right. He clearly knew everything surrounding Kuon's situation. But then..., did he want Lory to know she was aware of it as well now? Ren looked back at her with a reassuring smile.

"I'm willing to let you hog father to yourself if you really want, but I was hoping you would be willing to share a bit this time around." Kuon said with a teasing glint in his eyes. Lory sat up straighter at that, looking between the two children with surprise.

"Ren, could it be that you...?" He started slowly, leaving the question hanging in the air as he tried not to give away too much until he knew for certain of if his suspicions to be true. The boy looked back at president Lory with a smile and a nod.

"I told her this afternoon." he confirmed, though conveniently held back from giving away what _else_ he confessed and did. Lory didn't need to know just yet. In any case, the man seemed far too preoccupied on the information of Kyoko being told about his ancestry.

"That... that's good; surprising, but very very good." the company president let out another long sigh as he slicked back his hair thoughtfully, then turned to look at the children with a smile again. "Alright, you kids can find your father in the salon with Ten. Ah, but Kyoko, she doesn't know if Ren's relation with Kuu, so she'll be under the impression that he's only here for you. Just keep that in mind, and you'll be fine. Off you go now, go welcome your father home." he says. Both children decidedly ignored the teasing glint in the man's eyes as they turned and headed out excitedly.

 

Ren and Kyoko could hear the excited rambling of the hair dresser as soon as they opened the door to the salon room, finding the Hollywood star patiently sitting in her chair as he listened to her talk about Kyoko joyfully. His hair had been died black, styled a bit differently for added effect and his eyes were a dark chocolate brown. His clothes were casual, a simple button-up and blue jeans, with a pair of simple but nice sneakers on his feet. He looked all the part of a man enjoying a casual and care-free day. The adults then paused their discussion on Kyoko as the door let out a small squeak, looking over as the two children slipped into the room. Kuu stared at them with bewilderment, then letting his face become joyous and excited as he got out of the chair and knelt on the ground.

"Kyoko!" he called happily, opening his arms wide for her. Kyoko giggled and rushed over, barreling into the man as he chuckled fondly and wrapped her in his arms. The young girl bubbled with laughter as he stood and spun twice with her in his arms. "My little Kyoko, you're so cute!" he gushed proudly, giving her a small bounce on his arm as he made sure she sat comfortably in his embrace. It was interesting for the girl, being small enough to easily sit in the man's arm. She hadn't ever been held this way before, even in her own childhood, so it was quite the new experience.

"Thank you father." she said timidly, still not used to being gushed over, especially by a parent figure. The adults had always treated her kindly of course, but Kuu's fatherly affection was something else entirely.

"Pleased to meet you again, Hizuri-san." Ren said with a small bow as he stood before him. Kuu looked down at him with interest, something Kyoko realized now was part of their act. She hoped it wasn't too painful for the two of them to act like such strangers. She wasn't sure how she would handle having to put such a loving parent at a distance. "Ah, Tsuruga Ren, correct? Lory told me that you were in this strange predicament with my son." he offers. Ren nodded with a smile and Kyoko quickly tried to think of a way to get the three of them alone so they could stop with the charades for a while.

"Father, how long are you going to be in Japan this time? You left so early last time." she asked, hoping it wasn't too short. The more time she had to play with, the better. Kuu chuckled lightly as he bounced her in his arms affectionately.

"It'll only be for three days, but I intend to spend as much time as possible with you. Actually Kyoko..., how would you feel about meeting your mother? She's been eager to meet you ever since I told her about my new son here." he explains happily. Kyoko seemed a bit worried for a moment before realization dawned in her expression and her eyes widened as she clasped her hands tightly in front of her chest.

"I would very much like to meet her royal majesty!" she gasped out before she could even think to stop herself. Kuu faltered a bit, staring at the girl with shock.

"Her... Kyoko, she's not royalty. Of course she's the queen of my heart, but there's absolutely no reason for you to address her as such. She's sure to adore you, so don't put up barriers before she even gets the chance to have a good relationship with you." he scolded lightly. Kyoko blushed and looked down, too embarrassed to admit that she had been lost her grip on reality for a moment. Glancing over to Ren, she pouted as she noticed his head turned away and trying to hold in his laughter. With a cute little huff, she leaned into Kuu's shoulder, trying her hardest to get used to being loved so dearly by the boy and the man with her. Kuu pat her head softly as he turned and thanked Jelly Woods for her services, then started to head out, still holding Kyoko like a proud father as Ren trailed behind them.

"Tsuruga-san can come too, right?" Kyoko asked, looking up to Kuu with wide hopeful eyes. The man looked a bit uncertain, glancing to Ren before the boy spoke up.

"I wouldn't mind having you and mother over for dinner, father." he says with a cheeky smile. Kuu faltered in his steps, staring at the young boy with surprise.

"You..." the man looked down at Kyoko, finding the girl holding back little giggles behind her hands, "when?" It was hardly a full sentence, but the children could more or less figure out what he was trying to ask.

"Kuon told me earlier today." she explained timidly. Kuu's head whipped back to look at Ren, pausing for only a moment before he scooped up the boy in his other arm and causing Kyoko to giggle cutely at his excitement.

"This calls for celebration! Tonight, we feast!" he exclaimed, already making his way down the LME halls as a brusque pace. Ren groaned his dread at the idea, but Kyoko seemed to be having lots of fun, giggling in Kuu's arms as the man rambled off various things they could make for their feast. "We can go to the hotel I'm staying at. There's already plenty of food supplies waiting for us!"

 

* * *

 

 

Kyoko gripped Ren's hand tightly as he stood in front of the hotel door, eyes staring a hole into the wood as if it had personally insulted him.

"You don't have to do this, Kuon." Kuu said softly, kneeling beside his son with a look of concern. He was having fun, getting to see the boy again from when he had been so young, so hopeful and bright, but the fact still remained that Kuon had gone through a lot. Even if he was physically at the point before he knew the cruelty of the world, he still held the mind of a man who had faced one too many hardships and one too great of a loss. They should have noticed before, should have seen how his innocence and bright nature were slowly crumbling and becoming fake frozen smiles, but they had failed to see it. _He_ had failed to see it, how his constant rising fame and stardom made Kuon struggle to stand on his feet more and more. It wasn't fair, but life rarely was. As his father, Kuu felt responsible for failing to see the struggles of his child. Now, all he could do was support him, no matter how long it took to gain him back in their lives.

Ren let out a slow breath and shook his head. "No, I want to. I just... I wonder if it's cruel of me, to give her back Kuon for such a short amount of time, only to leave you two again." he said softly, hanging his head. Kuu did his best to not focus so much on his desire to have his son back. Kuon was being considerate and thoughtful, keeping a level head and taking Jullie's feelings into account. They both knew how much this separation had hurt her. She hadn't even been permitted a goodbye last time. Kyoko squeezed his hand encouragingly again, drawing his attention long enough for her to shoot him a small smile. He gave a halfhearted one back in response, the nerves obvious in how strained it was.

"Kuon," Kuu spoke softly as he placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder, "your mother and I will do whatever it takes to ensure you're happy and healthy. If that means we can't meet you for another five to six years... then so be it." Ren looked up at the man uncertainly for a moment before he looked down again and shook his head with a nervous chuckle.

"No..., I don't think that'll be necessary. I don't know when I'll come back home, but for now I would very much like to have dinner with you, and getting to see Kyoko and mom meet will be an interesting bonus." he chuckled, already imagining Kyoko's la-la-land face in reaction to the woman. His mother wasn't known as the most beautiful woman for nothing, after all. Strengthening his resolve, Ren gave a firm nod and gripped Kyoko's hand as he looked to his father. "and action." he said somewhat jokingly, happy to see the responding smile from his father. Kuu reached out and paused with his hand on the doorknob for a moment, giving Ren one last chance to change his mind before he opened the door and walked in.

" **Julie-dear, I'm back!** " he called in English, ushering the children inside before he shut the door and started pulling off his shoes. Kyoko was curious about the lack of response but stayed silent as she and Ren followed suit, taking off their shoes in the entrance before following the man as he slipped further into the hotel. Kyoko heard the audio from a tv before she recognized it, hearing young Ren's voice before her own response. She certainly sounded different in audio, but that was to be expected she supposed. They found themselves in the main room of the suite, the large tv playing a recording of one of the play-times Ren and Kyoko had done with Maria earlier in the week. Someone had taped them? When? She heard Kuu chuckle and looked up to him as he passed her by, giving a small wink before turning his attention onto the woman with beautiful flowing sparkly hair, currently sitting on the floor far too close to the tv and a remote in hand as she rewound the tape to a part where Ren was jumping down and grinning before running after a squealing Maria, Kyoko hot on his heals. It was rewound again to the same spot, paused for a moment on Ren's excited and youthful expression, then played again. Kuu knelt beside the woman quietly and started petting her hair as he gazed at her softly. **"Are you really going to watch those tapes the entire time we're here?"**  Kuu asked gently. She let out a soft hum of acknowledgement as she fast-forwarded through some part where Lory was in front of the camera to explain something, playing again when it started on another one of the trio's play dates. It must have been Lory who recorded them, which was only a small relief to the children.  **"I think I have something you'll like. I picked it up and brought it straight here for you."** he coaxed gently. Ren stayed standing next to Kyoko, his eyes trained on his parents as Kyoko took the moment to glance between him and the two adult.

 **"I want my Kuon."** The woman's voice was soft and beautiful, like the soft tinkling of the most pleasant bells. Kyoko caught her breath, anticipation her meeting with such an ethereal being.

 **"Which one?"** Ren unexpectedly spoke up. Kyoko watched the woman's back straighten and her shoulders stiffen before she whipped around, her body twisting so quickly that Kyoko was sure she heard the woman's back pop. Juile Hizuri was most definitely the most beautiful person Kyoko had ever seen, the resemblance between her and Ren so crystal clear. It was no wonder the man was so beautiful, with a mother who looked like a true goddess descended from the heavens. Vibrant green eyes watered as the woman gracefully stood, then ran over quickly and snatched Ren up into her arms, hugging him tightly to her chest as the boy squirmed uncomfortably. **"Mom, I can't breath!"** he gasped. Kyoko quietly stood to the side, her hand feeling a bit cold as soon as Ren had been yanked from her grip. She didn't miss him long, the boy taking her open hand again as soon as he was set down. Julie stared of Kyoko with wonder, her eyes shifting between her and Ren a few times as the boy fidgeted slightly. "Mom, I'd like you to meet Kyoko. She's..." he paused and looked over to Kyoko with a bit of uncertainty, licking his lips before continuing, **"She's my best friend..., and the girl I unintentionally fell in love with while pursuing acting, the person that made me start to think that maybe... maybe I can be allowed a bit of happiness. Kyoko, this is my mother, Juliana Hizuri."** he introduced. Julie's hands daintily covered her mouth for a moment before she snatched Kyoko, her hand not feeling quite as cold when she lost her grip on Ren's this time.

 **"It's so nice to meet you, Kyoko!"** Julie practically sobbed as she hugged Kyoko and twisted left and right. Kyoko found herself struggling to take in air, but was dealing with far too many emotions at the moment to ask for a breath. Luckily, Ren made sure to remind his mother about the need for air before Kyoko could pass out from the bear hug.

 **"It... It's nice to meet you too, Mrs Hizuri."** Kyoko stammered out with a formal bow. The woman seemed perplexed at the greeting, so Ren quickly explained that Kyoko was usually a very formal person.

 **"I see..., but don't you call Kuu 'Father'? That's what he told me, anyway. Do I not get to be 'Mother'?"** she asked, looking a bit hurt, but not wanting to push the young girl too much. Kyoko gasped and blushed brightly.

 **"To speak to the queen of the fairies so informally, I..."** Too late, Kyoko realized her slip and blushed a vibrant red. Julie blinked quickly for a moment as thought trying to clear something from her eyes before she tilted her head slowly.

 **"Queen of the fairies?"**  the beautiful person echoed curiously, looking to Kuu and Kuon curiously. Maybe it was a Japanese thing? Kuon shuffled his feet about awkwardly.

 **"I... may have romanticized you and dad a bit when I met Kyoko a while back."**  young Ren explained awkwardly. **"I didn't expect it to cause her to believe those things up into adulthood but.... I mean I've already explained that I'm not really a fairy, but I suppose some mindsets are a bit more difficult to get out of."**

 **"Hold on,"** Kuu spoke up from the entrance-way of the kitchen, currently munching on some snack he had dug out of there, **"do you mean to tell me that you met Kyoko-chan before? When you were younger?"** Ren nodded slowly, feeling a bit shy.

 **"We were really young back then, when you took me to Kyoto for a short while, but we spent enough time playing together and made a big enough impact on each others' lives that I suppose we never forgot that time. She didn't know that 'Corn' and 'Kuon' were the same person until today, though."** he explains, already knowing that he would be questioned for-

 **"Corn?"** yep, there it was. This time it was Kyoko's turn to blush a bit next to him.

 **"I... hadn't heard and pronounced his name correctly, and he hadn't bothered to correct me."** she explained timidly.

 **"I see, and this thing about a fairy queen...?"** Kuu asked slowly. Was that why Kyoko had called Julie 'her majesty' earlier? Kyoko and Kuon explained somewhat vaguely about how Kyoko had been lead to believe Corn was a young fairy prince, with his father being a big a powerful fairy king with the most beautiful and graceful woman as the fairy queen. The children conveniently avoided talking about Kyoko's woes with her mother and Kuon's story of being unable to fly because of his wings getting caught in the fairy king's hands. The time together had been brought about by bitter and painful parts of their lives, but they didn't want to taint the wonderful story of their time together with the dreary events that surrounded it. Kuu suggested they talk more about it while they cook and eat, and Kyoko excitedly agreed.

Kuon and Julie were banished to the living room so they couldn't do anything to inadvertently sabotage the feast. It seemed to do them good, the beautiful woman happily convincing Ren to remove his disguise as they chatted about work and modeling, Julie subtly slipping in a question about Kyoko every now and then. She was obviously very happy and excited, though she showed it in much more subtle ways than her excitable husband. While Kuu moved with power and pride, Julie was all grace and dignity, complimenting one another in the most subtle of ways. Kyoko returned to her stool beside Kuu after peeking in on the blond pair, quickly getting back to work on preparing the feast with the man. Kuu chuckled as he looked down to her.

"So, I suppose this explains how you seemed to know Kuon's character so naturally." he teased lightly. Kyoko looked up at him with surprise. He didn't seem mad, but she hadn't been around him enough to truly know what kind of tells he would have. Would he smile brightly and stiffly? Would he have a glare that rivaled the demon lord like his son? Or did Kuon get that from his mother? Kuon/Ren seemed to have more of her traits after all. Kyoko shuffled her feet a bit on the stool she was using to allow her to work next to her father figure.

"I... with all the confusing and obsessive traits you gave me to work with, I just couldn't imagine someone so spectacular while still being human. When I considered a fairy like Corn, though... I thought he would definitely be the kind of son that father couldn't help but brag about so extensively. I suppose I was lucky that I chose Corn of all people to base Kuon's character off of. Somehow, it feels a bit like I cheated now." she admitted with a sigh. Kuu hummed lightly in thought at that.

"You could look at it that way, but I would rather look at it like this instead; you used a past experience to consult when faced with a very complex character. Knowing what kind of person would be best to base your character off of is also an important factor. All characters are based off tidbits of real life people with a few unique pieces thrown in here and there, so it's just a matter of using the right pieces for the right character." he explains. Kyoko looked up at him with delight sparkling in her eyes. She wanted to cling tightly to his every word, soak in all his knowledge and hone her skills as an actress. She was ecstatic when Kuu asked her how her acting had been coming since he left, and she eagerly and delightedly recounted her role in Box R and the ninja she had recently gotten the part for. Kuu happily gave his own input on the action part of movies, and Kyoko asked him anything she could think of, happily soaking in the parental love as he talked and pat her on the head, subtly slipping in compliments and praise for her work and cooking. By the time dinner was ready, Kyoko was practically glowing and bouncing with happiness. She was so glad she could call someone like Kuu 'Father', even if he wasn't her actual father. What was blood relation when you had someone love you so much without it?

Dinner was filled with happy chatter as they ate together. It seemed Julie had convinced Kuon to shed his disguise while Kuu and Kyoko cooked, which only served to heighten Kyoko's excitement as they ate. Kuu talked about the work he was currently working on, and Julie passionately spoke of the latest fashion trends in America, all too happy to share her opinions on the best and worst things to wear. Once the adults have given a bit more information on their own lives, they gently asked about 'Corn', which Kyoko was all too happy to tell them about. Kuon poked at some little pieces of food on his plate as he blushed lightly, pouting with every little tease from his parents about how much it sounded like he enjoyed playing as a fairy prince for Kyoko.

 **"I was so surprised when I saw him in Guam!"** Kyoko gushed happily, her own plate already empty and pushed away slightly to show she was done.

 **"Guam?"** Julie echoed, looking at the two children curiously. Kyoko nodded, happy to recall the memory.

 **"I've always thought that no one but Corn could have such sparkling and bright hair, and his eyes are so unique and beautiful!"** she gushed, not even noticing the darkening blush on the boy next to her. She was too excited and absorbed in her recounting of the events. Kuon didn't miss the prideful and teasing grins on his parents faces. Even if they hadn't discussed it so much while waiting for dinner earlier, it was obvious to him that his mother was already hooked on the adorable little girl as well, now likely on the same page as his father in trying to think of ways to gain Kyoko as their new daughter in law. Hopefully she would still be too bitter toward Lory to join his love-force or whatever, but he wouldn't put it past the woman to put it aside in favor of having Kyoko join their family. The little dark-haired girl was precious like that; people just wanted to have any part of her that they could.

 **"So you recognized him by his features, and then you two reconnected during your vacation?"** Julie prodded. Kyoko didn't seem aware of it, but Kuon knew his mother well enough to recognize that glint in the woman's eyes, as if she was hearing some delightfully juicy gossip and plotting to use it to her advantage. His mother isn't a malicious person by any means, but she _is_ very manipulative. If she wanted something, she would do everything in her power to get it, including her favorite threat of reaching the end of her life.

 **"Actually...," Kyoko hummed lightly in thought, "It's a bit more complicated than that."** Kyoko gasped as her eyes widened and she glanced over to Ren thoughtfully. **"Now that I think about it, I must have put you in a really tight spot, recognizing you and pointing out all your similarities to Tsuruga-san."** she says, looking a bit apologetic. Kuon smiled and shook his head.

 **"It was a bit risky for me, but I'm glad it happened. You helped me a lot that time."** he tells her. Kyoko blushed lightly and looked down as she fiddled with her fingers, mumbling a timid 'Any time' in Japanese. Kuon didn't miss the widening grins on his parents' faces at Kyoko's response to him. Even though they had conveniently left out the little tidbit of Kuon and her kissing to break a curse, as well as his flashy farewell, Kyoko's reaction was a clear indication that a relationship between the two of them was far from unlikely. He could practically hear the gears turning in their heads as they plotted. Maybe they wouldn't even need to conspire with Lory. They might just make attempts on their own until the end of their stay in Japan.

 **"I understand that these contributed to your discovery of Ren and your** 'Fairy Prince Corn' **being the same person, but what about you, Kuon?"** Kuu asked curiously, wanting to pull out this interesting topic as much as possible. **"Did you know Kyoko was the same girl as back then the whole time? Or maybe you found out when she recognized you in Guam?"**

 **"I... I found out a little while after she joined LME, actually."** Ren said, glancing over to Kyoko somewhat timidly. He hadn't had the chance to talk to her about this very extensively yet. He had been hoping to sit with her and have a long chat once they got over this strange curse. The girl stared back at him in surprise, and he gave her a somewhat awkward smile. "You still hated me a lot back then, and I didn't particularly know how to handle you either," he explained, his focus entirely on her as he slipped back into Japanese, "so I was quite surprised to discover you were the same person I had cared so deeply for ten years prior. Of course, you couldn't have brought this revelation on me softly either, barreling down the stairs and yelling out that character's name... searching for a very peculiar little stone I had given you so long ago." A smirk pulled at his lips as recognition filled her widening eyes, her mouth opening slightly before she shoved her hand in the pocket of her dress to pull out a familiar tiny purse. Julie was trying to whisper-ask Kuu what was just said, but the man simply placed a finger to his lips as he watched them. Kuon didn't care at the moment, too absorbed in Kyoko's actions as she snapped open the little purse and pulled out a familiar stone. Julie shot up suddenly, startling Kyoko as the chair scraped and clattered loudly.

 **"Is that...?"** The woman spoke excitedly, her eyes on the little blue stone. Kyoko looked puzzled as she looked at Julie and Kuu, then Kuon. The boy gave a small smile before he looked to his mother sheepishly.

 **"I know I said I lost it, but really I gave it to someone I wanted to help. Sorry for lying to you about it."** he said. Kyoko looked shocked as she turned quickly to the woman.

 **"So then... this actually belonged to Hi-... M-m-mother?"** she asked, stammering a bit as she tried to say the word. It was just a tad easier to try it in English for some reason.

 **"No,"** Kuon turned back to her and shook his head, **"Mother got it for me in hopes that it would help. She knew I was having trouble in the acting jobs, and the stone had superstition behind it that it supposedly was supposed to bring clarity and peace for the mind. I think it has to do with the way it reflects the light differently when you hold it up."**

 **"It's a very good material for enchantments and blessings."** Julie added, a soft smile pulling at her lips as she held a far-away look in her eyes. **"I gave that stone to Kuon in hopes that he could use it, for the superstition or to put a blessing on it."** She explained. Kyoko latched onto the new information.

 **"Put a blessing on it? So... It really is magic!"** She said as she looked to the blond boy excitedly. Kuon watched her excitement with amusement. She's just so cute.

 **"I admit, I had my doubts back then."** Kuu spoke up as he set down the last of his plates. Everything had been effectively inhaled now. **"I may have spent a lot of time around Lory when he was working with magic, but I don't have any real talent myself. The most I can do is enhance my physical ability _ju~st_ a little. It's nothing overly impressive, and certainly nothing that could draw questions. If anything, I was liken it to having an adrenaline rush at will. Julie, however, came from a family that dabbles very heavily in magic, especially blessings and purification. Luckily, Kuon inherited a wonderful tallent for blessings from his wonderful mother."** Kyoko clasped her hands together with glee as she gazed at Kuon. The boy smiled a bit sadly at her, however.

 **"While that may be true, I don't possess the ability to do so anymore. I lost it a while back, before I left the states."** he admitted, watching at Kyoko's face fell. Kuu let out a soft sigh.

 **"Yes, magic is a very tricky thing. I looked through all of Lory's books on it as soon as I found out, but there was already nothing I could do. There isn't a whole lot of text on it, as it's not a super common occurrence, but apparently it's often refereed to 'Broken Spirit Syndrome'. Most people don't survive very long afterward, sinking into a deep depression until they just... waste away, but essentially their spirit is broken by very stressful and hurtful events, usually at the hands of very cruel people. Hollywood is not a safe place. There are a lot of bad people there, and Kuon was easy prey due to trying to make his way from the bottom. On top of that, my fame put a target on his back, like a baby rabbit tossed in the middle of a pack of wolves. I hadn't even noticed until...."** Kuu fell silent with a heavy sigh, and Julie leaned over to wrap her arms around him, clearly doing what she could to reassure him and provide support. Kyoko could easily see how much they loved one another. Looking over to Kuon, she noticed he was fiddling with his hands, trying to distract himself. They didn't need to continue to explain. She understood just from that much and seeing them. Kuu blamed himself for Kuon's spirit being broken and losing his magic. Kuon felt ashamed that he had been broken so easily. The family had gone through some very difficult times in the past.

 **"I think I was able to hold onto myself a little longer, though."** Kuon finally spoke, a halfhearted smile pulling at his lips as he reached over and held Kyoko's hand that currently held the little stone. **"Because my parents loved me so much, and because father gave me the opportunity to come to Japan and meet the most amazing little girl, I think I was able to hold onto those little things and keep going for just a bit longer. I was able to associate Japan with good, and to pull myself up from the ashes, start a new life with a new name, to keep living even when I thought I should just fade away. If it weren't for the people that cared about me, I could have given in. Thank you father, for being _my_ father. Thank you mother, and.**. _._ thank you Kyoko. You've given me so much, even if you didn't realize it. I'm glad I was born. I'm glad I was able to meet you." Kyoko looked up to Kuon's shining green eyes, her own watering a bit before she threw her arms around him and gave him a firm hug. Kuon chuckled softly and held her in his arms, silently thankful as his parents took that as their cue to slip out as quietly as they could. They didn't bother with the dishes for the moment, knowing that the clinking of the dishes would break the moment and draw Kyoko's attention. For now, it was best to give the children some privacy. Kyoko and Kuon stayed like that for a bit, silently locking one another in a firm embrace before Kyoko spoke up softly.

"I'm glad I was born, too. I'm glad I was able to meet Corn, to meet Ren and Kuon and the person under all these layers of characters. I... I love you." she hid her face against his shoulder, still embarrassed to utter those words but knowing that she needed to say them, knowing that he needed to hear them. Kuon held her a little tighter at her confession, burying his nose in her own shoulder.

"I love you too. Thank you. Thank you so much, Kyoko." he mumbled.

 

It was a good while later that the two finally separated and Kyoko noticed the absence of the adults. Kuon merely laughed and explained that they likely wanted to give them privacy. She could hear the recording Lory had taken of their play-time with Maria going in the main room again, so she knew they hadn't left. The two children quickly decided to clean up the table and dishes together, though Kuon protested that Kyoko should get the easier tasks since she had also helped cook. In the end, he let her do as she pleased as he did as much as he could to try and lighten the load of responsibilities. Kuu and Julie soon walked in, objecting to the children doing all the cleaning, and soon the four of them were all cleaning up together, laughing and playing throughout as they flung water at one another.

Once the kitchen and dishes were all clean, Kuon and Kyoko were sent to change into their night clothes and the happy family settled into the main room together and debated over what movie to watch. Kyoko and Kuon were insistent that they see one of Kuu's more recent projects, so they put on western action film. The two children fell asleep before the climax, cuddled up together and nestled between the adults. Kuu chuckled as he turned down the sound, then gently picked up Kuon. Julie scooped Kyoko up soon after, smiling as the girl curled up cutely in her arms.

 **"Having a daughter would have been nice...."** Julie says slowly, gently petting Kyoko's soft hair. **"I think I'd like a granddaughter once they get married."** Kuu chuckled as he carried Kuon into the second bedroom of the suite, tucking him into bed. Julie settled Kyoko in next to him, making sure the cute button-down nightgown didn't twist uncomfortably around the girl before placing a kiss atop each of he childrens' heads.

 **"Do you think it's okay to have them in the same bed like that?"** Kuu asked, frowning lightly in concern as he watched the two sleeping peacefully. Julie lightly smacked his arm.

 **"Kuu, they're children!"** she hissed disapprovingly as she leveled a frightening glare on him.

 **"Not mentally though!"** he objected back in a low voice.

**"Mentally, they are adults and can make their own decisions. Kuon isn't going to attack her, and Kyoko's a modest girl. They're not going to do anything they shouldn't."**

**"You were the one talking about _grandchildren_!"**

**"After they get married!"**

**"Mom, dad,"** Kuon's sleepy voice interupted suddenly, causing the adults to turn with guilty looks to their son and hopeful daughter-in-law-to-be, **"goodnight."** That was all he had to say for the two adults to shuffle out of the room like a couple of scolded children themselves. Kuon chuckled lightly and scoot a little closer to Kyoko, finding her hand and gripping it softly before drifting off to sleep. Today had been absolutely amazing.

 

* * *

 

 

Kyoko woke up in a warm embrace, firm arms wrapped securely around her waist and a steady breath at her back. Opening her eyes blearily, she saw a large hand just beneath her pillow. She stared at it for a bit, tracing the shape and contours with her eyes before slowly reaching up to gently trace the fingers with her own. She wasn't worried. She knew this hand. She'd examined this hand thousands of times in thousands of different ways. It shifted under her touch, closing in and pulling her flush against a larger body... and then she noticed that something wasn't quite right. She could feel that she was wearing clothes, but it was somewhat drafty in various places, and wasn't her hand more slim than it had been the past several days; longer and more defined? And the hand that was now holding one of her breasts....

Kyoko gasped and jumped up out of bed, tumbling backward off the edge with a loud THUMP! She looked down at herself, long adult legs propped up on the side of the bed as the rest of her [mature] body sprawled on the floor, barely covered by what looked to be scraps of her child's nightgown. All the buttons seemed to have been popped off and open from her sudden growth-spurt in the middle of the night, and the seams were all ripped open with the gown itself having a few holes. Her little girl panties had obviously not survived.

"Kyoko?" Kuon's adult voice spoke groggily, and then he peered over the edge of the bed, pausing for a moment before his eyes opened wide and the sleep vanished from his face. Kyoko screamed and kicked him, barely managing to remind herself to aim for his [bare] chest instead of the actor's face so as to keep from breaking his nose or giving him injury that would hinder his work. Kuon thankfully didn't try to look over the edge of the bed at her again, but then the door slammed open to reveal a frantic Kuu and a half-asleep but worried Julie.

"What happened? Are you kids okay?" Kuu yelled worriedly. Kyoko screamed again and tried to cover herself with her arms, tears welling up in her eyes. The Hollywood star was barely in the room before a pillow was chucked forcefully in his face, and then a blanket fell over Kyoko. She found herself holding her breath as she lay in the darkness of the blanket for a moment. "Kuon? What happened? Why are you naked?" Kuu's voice could be heard, and Kyoko slowly manuvered herself under the blanket until she could sit up and peek out, holding the cover around her securely.

 **"Get out."** Kuon growled. Kyoko peeked over the edge of the bed at him with surprise, but found that the menacing glare from the blond was directed at his father instead of her. Kyoko's eyes greedily noticed that he was indeed naked, scraps of his pajama shirt hanging on his arms while the rest of the shredded cloth seemed to have been left behind on the bed. Kyoko was silently glad she didn't have as dramatic a change in body size as the man. At least she had a _few_ scraps left to cover her a little. Kuon currently had a pillow strategically placed over his crotch, but his toned chest and arms were in full view for her to admire. Her face tinted a couple shades darker as she heard Julie coaxing a worried Kuu out of the room, telling the man that Kuon and Kyoko would need privacy as they gathered themselves and worked things out like the adults they were. Kuu made a feeble protest, stating that Kyoko was only seventeen, but made no other objection as he followed his wife and shut the door. Alone again, Kuon sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair before his vibrant green eyes lowered to meet Kyoko's golden amber ones. An awkward smile pulled at his lips. "Not the way that I wanted to get you into bed with me, but I'm not sure I can really complain... other than my parents barging in of course." he spoke. Kyoko squeaked and tightened the blanket around her at his flirtatious remark, causing him to chuckle. "Relax Kyoko, I'm not going to eat you...." He had to hold back from adding 'yet' at the end of that sentence. _'Coooool down, Kuon. Don't freak her out just because we're adults again.'_ He thought to himself with slight amusement. She was just so cute when she was embarrassed, though. Kuon shook his head with a smile and looked around, finding their travel bags off to the side. He did the best he could to shift off the bed before waddling over to the bags, keeping the pillow in front of his crotch the whole time in an attempt to not expose himself so blatantly to the innocent girl on the floor. Unbeknownst to him, said innocent girl was now staring at his exposed butt, blushing furiously but unable to take her eyes off of him now that she had indulged. He pulled out a pair of adult clothes and stood, turning around only to freeze when he found Kyoko staring at him, chewing her bottom lip lightly. Her golden eyes flicked up to meet his and the light blush on her cheeks darkened significantly as it spread all over her face. Kuon rose an eyebrow curiously as a smirk tugged at his lips. "See something you like?" he teased, chuckling lightly at the squeaked. "I would say that it's only fair for you to show me yours now that you've seen mine, but I'll let you wait until you're more comfortable. I'll get dressed in the closet." he says, slipping into the little closet of the room with his clothes held somewhat precariously where the pillow had been. Kyoko watched as he closed the door to the cramped space, silently thinking that she should be the one in there instead, but then her eyes fell onto the pillow he had left by his bag. Nope, that was enough dirty thoughts for one day!

"I am a pure maiden. I am a pure and untainted...." she mumbled to herself, trailing off as her mind wandered to the body she had seen and found herself desiring so greatly. She could hear the light thump when Kuon moved around in the closet, the space obviously not being big enough for him to move around and dress comfortably. Quickly, she ran over to her own bag and put on her underwear. She paused as she started to get her day clothes on, recalling his little tease. It was indecent... but she wanted to get him back a little. And... she had worn incredibly skimpy things as Setusuka Heel, and he had seen _plenty_ of those outfits at the time. Steeling her nerves, she cleared her throat before calling out to him. "Okay, you can come out now." she called as she sat on the bed and slipped her feet into her pant legs. She watched the closet open as she pulled on her pants, her heart thudding away in her chest and glee filling her body with warmth as she saw Kuon freeze, gawking at her and green eyes following her movements as she pulled the pants up, then slipped on her shirt. "S-see something you like?" she stammered just a little as she threw his tease right back at him. She was a little surprised and a little proud as he slowly nodded, wide eyes still trailing all over her form and his mouth still hanging open slightly. Kyoko giggled and fiddled with the dark hair brushing against her shoulders. It was so... encouraging, having him show such obvious interest in her appearance. She felt confident, courageous, like she could do just about anything! She had somehow captured the heart of Japan's most desirable and amazing bachelor. Her eyes flicked up to meet his as he suddenly walked over, his long adult legs eating up the distance within seconds so that he could stand before her and reach up, pausing when he was only a breath away.

"Can... Can I kiss you?" he spoke so softly, as if afraid to spook her. Kyoko smiled with a cute blush as she nodded, letting her eyes slide shut as he leaned in and conncected his lips with hers. _'This kiss,'_ Kyoko thought as she pressed just a little more into it, _'is deffinitely filled with magic.'_ And indeed it was.

 

fin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. This has been such a long ride! Haha. I've been writing for a very long time (ever since elementary actually), but I've always struggled with completing anything. I had piles of papers and spirals, binders bulging, folders overflowing, all filled with writing that I either never finished or was unsatisfied with. It's always been the same story/universe, but it's evolved quite a bit from when I was a lonely third-grader, and I'm glad it's come as far as it has, but I wish I could actually finish it instead of leaving it as a bunch of scenes that flash in my mind. The characters are all developed and moving about for their own story, but it's just so difficult to sit down and write it out instead of letting my daydreams go on and on without being recorded.  
> With that in mind, this has kind of been a bit of a project for me. A test if you will. I wanted to complete a story no matter what, and be able to get some feedback from people to see how they like my style of writing. What needs to be improved? What seems confusing or out of place or just plain nonsensical? What makes it appealing? What makes you come back for more? I do admit, I haven't really done a very good job of proofreading the chapters. Sometimes I go back to read a previous chapter and I'm just like "Oh, that's wrong. That got auto-corrected to the wrong word. Wrong. Wrong. Bad. Oops. Hope that didn't bother anyone too much." haha, but I think it came out well enough.
> 
> There will be an epilogue to this story (how can you not?), and I honestly wish they could have had a bit more time as children with Kuu and Julie, but it just didn't feel right to drag it out any further. I'm just glad that they got the chance to spend time together at all, and of course Kuon's parents will still hang around during their days off to take whatever time they can with them.  
> Thank you so much for reading!


	11. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own skip beat, but you already knew that.

The day Kuu and Julie Hizuri went back home, Japan was shocked by the news they had been in the country at all. When had they come in? How had no one known? _Why_ had no one known? Kuu had brushed it off as needing a couple days vacation to themselves in secret, but two young adults stood off to the side wearing disguises and secret smiles. The glamorous and sparkling couple made a showy exit as they boarded their plane. Kuon and Kyoko weren't too down about it. They had been promised a call at least twice a week, something Kuon thoroughly planned on using to lure the young woman to his flat on those days.

A couple days later, Maria returned from her visit with her father, a little sad to find Ren and Kyoko back to their former selves, but happy to be picked up by the two once again.

"I'm sorry we weren't able to play together again when you got back." Ren said apologetically. Maria looked shocked at this, her eyes watering a bit and making the man panic. What happened? She had seemed fine a second ago.

"But... you said we could still play together, even when you're adults? Was that a lie, Ren-sama?" The young girl sniffled. Realization dawned on him as he hugged her firmly in his arms.

"No, of course it wasn't a lie, Maria. I'm sorry I made it sound that way. I just thought you would prefer playing with us as children." he explained hastily, relived as her tears dried up with a few more sniffles and a nod.

"I'm happy with this. Now we can play different roles in our games!" she says excitedly. Ren chuckled as Kyoko smiled next to him. Maria bounced and reached out, smoothly passing from Ren's hands into Kyoko's arms. Lory smiled secretly as he watched the interaction, happily fantasizing of wedding bells and adorably mixed-race children running around. Ren was already opening up to Kyoko, the next step was surely confessions of love, then dating and marriage and family...!

"Thank you for all of your help through this, President-san." Kyoko pulled him out of his reverie and the older man waved it off happily.

"Of course, of course, it's part of my job as company president to ensure that all my employees have the highest chance of success and whatnot." he dismissed. Maria and the two young adults soon said their brief goodbyes with a promise to play together after work, since the work schedule was still very light from the preparations of their time as children. Ren was forced to promise not to accept extra work just because he had extra time today, not that Maria believed he would really shorten any time he could spend with her big sister figure.

 

* * *

 

 

Kyoko sighed as she was faced with a annoyed and pouting Sho. She had been hoping he would let the matter drop, but evidently not. A little less than a week after their little run-in at the studio, and he had come to seek her out yet again.

"Skoko was right that the kid looked a lot like that pin-head actor. Why are you getting so friendly with him and his family?" he demanded. The young woman let out a heavy sigh, as if trying to explain something to someone who was just too dim-witted to understand.

"I told you already, Sho, I was just helping take care of Corn for a short while. It doesn't concern you."

"Of course it concerns me! You're mine! I won't allow you to go around getting all friendly with that guy and his family! That guy is dangerous, you know. He's trying to suck you in." Sho hissed. Kyoko was just too naive to see it! The girl whipped around and glared at him.

"I don't belong to you!" she growled at him bitterly. How dare he? After all the rejection and blatant insults and trashing of her appearance and ability, he had the audacity to claim ownership of her? She could see him getting ready to retort, the young woman already winding up to cut him off and tear him a new one when a calm deep voice spoke behind her.

"I didn't realize there were still people around with such an old fashioned and derogatory mindset." Kyoko whipped around, her face already filling with the wide smile. Sho bristled angrily as he was faced by both his most hated person, as well as Kyoko's obvious affections for said person.

"This doesn't concern you, Tsuruga." Sho growled out as he glared, though Ren quietly noticed the singer take half a step backward. He smirk at the little tell.

"Oh, but I believe you are the outsider in this, Fuwa. From what I picked up on my way over, you are talking about my family, as well as attempting to lay claim of ownership on my kohai. I'm sorry to tell you, but I think you're in the wrong era if you think you can just claim Mogami-san as your own without her consent." He says, though it was quite obvious that he wasn't sorry in the least.

"Ha! Well she's heading toward having no choice! Or didn't you know? Kyoko has sworn to come back and slave her life away for my family should she ever fall for you. You can't win, Tsuruga! You'll never have her!" he cackled at Ren's hurt expression as Kyoko turned bright red in a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

"First off, you have no right to tell those things to Tsuruga-san! Secondly..., What do you even know?" Kyoko seethed, too angry to even come up with more than one major point. Ren hummed and tilted his head thoughtfully as he watched the two, quietly noting that he quite liked standing at her side when she butted heads against her childhood friend.

"I'm not interested in laying claim to Mogami-san, Fuwa." Ren stated simply, instantly drawing the two younger adults out of their glaring match. Kyoko looked confused and a bit hurt as she tried to understand his words. Sho simply scoffed.

"Liar!" he snapped. Ren merely shrugged.

"It's true though. For one, Mogami-san is an independent woman. Not only does she have no use for some controlling and demanding man in her life, trying to limit and cage her, but I myself just simply have nothing to live for but to pursue my career as an actor. I'll only consider pursuing a woman romantically when the name 'Tsuruga Ren' is a name that isn't needed anymore." he says cryptically. "Aside from that..., I believe Mogami-san has mentioned to me a number of times that she has someone else in mind?" He says thoughtfully, though gave enough leeway to where she could claim otherwise if she wanted. He was all too pleased when she nodded with a cute blush and a smile.

"That was supposed to remain a secret though, Tsuruga-san." she scolded lightly.

"WHAT?" Sho couldn't believe his ears! He was about to demand where this new love interest had sprouted from, but then Ren was giving some explanation of needing to be elsewhere for work as he guided Kyoko away with his hand on the small of her back. The singer was too stunned and too prideful to run after them. "Che... it won't last." he grumbled to himself as he shoved his hands in his pockets and stalked off to find Shoko. It was too sudden, probably some kind of celebrity stunt. So pathetic, that she was stooping to such pathetic means of gaining fame. Just goes to show how desperate she was to surpass him! Yeah! He still had claim of her heart!

 

Kyoko stared at Ren with a deep frown as they settled in the back of Yashiro's car. The man looked back at her, showing obvious puzzlement.

"What is it, Mogami-san?" He asked innocently. Kyoko narrowed her eyes slightly.

"I'm just wondering when Sho started antagonizing Tsuruga-san about me. He's always hated you, so that wasn't a surprise, but it was obvious that he's known about your interest in me for some time." she points out with a heavy frown. What had those two been doing when she was so clueless? Ren hummed thoughtfully at that.

"Actually, I don't really know when he figured it out. I suppose the first time he used you as a means to get to me... when you did that PV with him? I'm not sure if that was just out of spite or because he knew I was interested in you though." he states. Kyoko frowned as she recalled that time very clearly. Sighing, she shook her head sadly.

"I'm sorry you've had to deal with him for so long, Tsuruga-san." she apologizes. Ren smiled and shook his head as well.

"No need to apologize for his behavior, Mogami-san. Just as he has no ownership of you, you have no responsibility for him. He's responsible for his own actions, and I will gladly help you when those actions of his cause trouble for you." Suddenly, Yashiro let out a loud and strange noise of annoyance.

"Why are you two still being so formal with one another? I thought you were dating now!" he cried in disbelief. His OTP! Why did they torture him so?

"But Yashiro-san," Kyoko spoke up, barely containing a secret little smile, "I'm not dating Tsuruga-san." Yashiro looked stricken, turning to look at them when he stopped at a red light, tears in his eyes.

"WHY NO~T?" he practically sobbed. Ren couldn't hold back his laughter, holding his mouth as he looked out the window in amusement.

"The person I'm dating is a secret." Kyoko said, looking over to the actor with a smile. Yashiro was about to inquire further, but was cut off by the blaring of a horn behind them. Quickly, he turned back around and drove through the now green light, grumbling about being left out of the loop even though he was happy about them sharing a cute secret. At least he knew they were dating... it was just a secret.... Wait, was he supposed to inform president Lory about the development? But... the love-mon was almost guaranteed to make a big deal about it, and then Yashiro might not be allowed to see the cute little tender moments between the two when the day was done and Ren seemed to shed his professional personality a little. Besides... It wasn't like he was hurting anyone by not telling Lory. Like Kyoko said, she isn't dating Tsuruga Ren, and Ren only seemed to show those little glimpses of who he was underneath in the privacy of the back of the car, sitting next to Kyoko. Like right now, when he had decided to drape his arm across the back of the seat and lean in just a bit closer. Kyoko didn't shy away, and eventually let her head lean lightly on Ren's (or whoever he was underneath) arm. Yashiro bit his tongue to hold back his squeal of glee. Yes, Lory didn't need to know just yet, not until the two decided to clear a day for a date without Maria.

 

* * *

 

 

"Tsuruga-san, can you get the pot down for me?" Kyoko asked as she started getting the prep for their dinner. She had slowly been coming over to spend dinner with him for the past couple weeks, starting with just one of the days his parents were to call. This was only the forth time she came over since then, slowly getting used to being in his space with the knowledge that they had mutual romantic feelings. Silence met her question and she turned to see why he hadn't responded, finding the man pouting heavily at her. She couldn't help the laugh that burst from her and she set down the vegetables as she walked the short distance to him, timidly wrapping her arms around his waist as she watched his pout melt into a glorious smile. "Ku~on, you're showing yourself already?" she teased. This was the deal they had decided upon. Tsuruga Ren was to remain a respected senpai, kept at a distance and watching over her fondly. Kuon, however, was her boyfriend that got coddled and loved on in the privacy of his apartment.

"What can I say? I couldn't stay away? I'm sta~rving." he whined childishly as he held her and nuzzled the top of her head. Kyoko giggled at his antics.

"Well, I'm _trying_ to make dinner." she pointed out teasingly.

"No, I'm starving for attention." He huffed with a pout before lifting her up and placing her on the counter as she let out a squeak of surprise. He grinned as her face turned bright red, leaning in to kiss her neck only for her to shove her hand in his face. He licked her palm and a shiver ran up her spine as she scowled down at the mischievous smirk on his face.  "It's so hard to stay away when you're so close to me during the day. I can't think of anything but kissing you half the time." If she had thought he was invasive and full of playboy tendencies before, it was ten-fold once she had opened the floodgates. Starting from the first day they had returned to being adults fully, he had slowly invaded her personal space more and more, toeing at the line and testing her limits. He never pushed too hard, but his teasing was incorrigible!

"If I give you attention, you won't stop asking for more." she states knowingly. Kuon pouted like a sad little puppy and she huffed as she linked her fingers behind his neck, her face still feeling incredibly warm despite her attempt to cool her nerves. "I'll give you one kiss now, but you have to wait until after dinner before I give you any more." she bartered, like a mother telling a child that they could only have one cookie until after dinner. Kuon didn't mind it, only grinning roguishly as he quickly nodded his agreement. Kyoko licked her lips in anticipation as they leaned closer, and then he was devouring her, eagerly sucking on her bottom lip and gripping her hips lightly as he restrained himself from letting his hands wander. He eagerly moved their lips together, sucking and licking hungrily as he breathed through his nose, wanting the kiss to last as long as possible. Kyoko gripped his shirt in her hands as she gasped for air, and then he was suckling on her tongue and _why did that feel so strange yet so amazing_? They hadn't done anything with tongue since the first time he had tried tasting her mouth, the sensation being a bit too much of a reminder to her for when Sho had forced his tongue into her mouth as he kissed her and acted like a selfish little child. This, though..., this was him pulling her tongue into his mouth, and she could taste the coffee he had been drinking during the break of his last job. She didn't usually care for coffee, opting for tea, but she decided she liked it on him. When they eventually pulled away, she drunkenly leaned in again, only pausing a breath away when she hear Kuon chuckle. Her eyes fluttered open to peer at him curiously through her haze.

"I thought I only got one? I'm a little surprised you let me take such a long kiss actually." he teased lightly, his voice low and deep and sending little shivers of delight through her, the thrill heightened even further by the emperor's bedroom eyes gazing down at her. Kyoko blushed and shoved at his chest as she looked away quickly.

"R-right, dinner! And father will be calling soon as well. Go get that set up while I finish in here." she says as she quickly hopped down from the counter. "Oh! But get the pots down first before you go, please." she while flitting about the kitchen. Kuon smiled as he watched her and pulled down the supplies she would need. He really loved seeing her so at home in his kitchen. Now he just needed to get her to agree to come over without the premise of having a call with Kuu and Julie. Would she call that a proper date? She wasn't the type to only see a date being a fancy restaurant or something extravagant, but it wouldn't feel right to have her cook on a date night. He could probably manage a pasta.... Maybe they could go camping some time. He was terrible at kitchen cooking, but grills and camp cooking were a bit more straightforward. He would only have to make sure the food didn't burn while still cooking all the way through.

Kuu and Julie were eating breakfast when the call connected, and the four of them joyfully ate together, half way across the globe. Kyoko giggled and told them that it reminded her a bit of when she had Ren record himself eating to prove he was having proper meals. Julie loudly complained about how difficult it was to get Kuon to eat as a child, in which the man in question paled a bit and complained that shoving food in his mouth was not a good way to get someone to enjoy eating. Kyoko felt a pang of sympathy as she imagined a young Corn choking on heaping mouthfuls of food as Julie tried to force him to eat.

 _ **"He still wasn't so bad as to forget to eat all together, though."**_ Julie sighed and shook her head lightly. Kuu frowned lightly at that and looked away. Kyoko wasn't sure if she was allowed to ask about it. Silently, She looked to Kuon instead, knowing he would tell her if it was appropriate. He gave her a sad smile and mouthed the word _'later'_ before diverging the conversation to something more lighthearted. She realized then that he probably just wanted to keep things pleasant when having these short little conversations with his parents. _**"Speaking of clothes, did you get my package, Kuon? I made sure to use an alias and everything."**_

**"I did actually, though I hadn't opened it yet since I didn't remember ordering anything and the return name and address wasn't familiar. I thought maybe it was from a fan I had somehow made overseas"**

_**"Well, it's from me. Surprise! It's actually for Kyoko, but I don't have her address, so I figured it would be fine to send it to you."**_ Julie rambled happily. Kuon turned to Kyoko and told her where she could find the package, letting her run off to find it before returning, turning it this way and that curiously. Julie was making her and Kuu's screen rattle as she bounced and clapped, eagerly urging them to open the package. Kyoko let Kuon cut the tape open for her before she reached in and gasped as she pulled out a beautiful gown. _**"Tada!"**_ Julie cheered happily. _**"It's one of the good new fashion pieces! I saw this one and just KNEW it would look gorgeous with your figure!"**_ the beautiful woman exclaimed happily.

 **"My... figure?"** Kyoko echoed curiously, looking at the computer as her parental figures beamed happily at her.

 _ **"Why, of course! The first thing any young woman should know is what kind of clothes compliment her figure. A lot of girls make the mistake of thinking that they need to have a tiny waist and these bombshell curves, but that completely negates the beauty of women! We're all different, and that's part of what makes us beautifully unique! You, my dear, have some AMAZING hips! You should wear clothes that draw attention to that."**_ Julie suggests happily.

 **"OR,"** Kuon spoke up with a deadly smile, **"Maybe her current style is fine just the way it is."** he suggested. Julie huffed and rolled her eyes.

_**"Oh please, Kuon, you can't hog her all to yourself. She's going to be in the spotlight, so she should know how to show off some of her greatest appeals."** _

**"One of her greatest appeals is her kindness and modesty. She doesn't need to 'flaunt her stuff'."** Kuon argues. Kyoko blushed and fiddled with the fabric of the gown as the two argued over what was best about her.

_**"Don't act like you don't enjoy looking at her and taking in her hips and butt! I SAW you, and I was only there for THREE DAYS! If you thought I wasn't watching you, you thought wrong!"** _

**"That's different. I'm appreciating the view of someone I am romantically involved with."**

_**"Physical appeal is just as important in show business as personal appeal, and you know it."**_ Kyoko his her bright red face in her bright red hands. The conversation was moving pretty fast, but she knew her English well enough to pick up all the arguments they were shooting at one another. Kuu didn't seem to be involved in the conversation anymore, simply watching his wife as he stuffed his face with food.

 **"Can we please talk about something else?"** Kyoko whined. Kuon looked to her with worry before shooting his mother a glare.

**"See? Now look what you did? Don't try to push her into wearing things she doesn't want."**

_**"Me? You take that back right now! Do you want me to die? You're so cruel!"**_ The woman cried as she covered her face. Kyoko instantly panicked.

 **"I love the dress, m-mother! I don't think I can wear it casually, but... m-maybe if I have to go to a semi-formal event or or an interview or something?"** she suggests. Kuon sighed as Julie sprung up as if she had never even mentioned death.

 _ **"Oh, I think that would be lovely, Kyoko dear! There's a few other dresses in there too, so you have plenty of options. Don't worry about wearing them right away, but I know you'll want to wear more womanly clothes as you go. You're style is fine of course, but any celebrity should have a good number of current fashions in their closset at any given time, and these will look DASHING on you, I promise!"**_ she gushed. _**"Kuon, stop pouting. If you're that worried about it, just have her model them for you. I put a lot of thought into this after all, give me some credit."**_ Kuon paused and looked to Kyoko, making the girl blush all over again as she realized he was actually considering it. Kyoko quietly mumbled that she would consider it, and Kuon's face broke into one of his brightest smiles.

The conversation finally moved on to other things than Kyoko's figure and Kuon's attraction, Kuu allowing himself to be pulled back into the conversation. Even though she knew he had likely heard all the embarrassing things in that conversation, Kyoko was glad he at least acted like he hadn't been paying attention for her sake. The call was soon ended, and Kuon let out a heavy sigh as he flopped backward to lay on the ground. Kyoko leaned over to peek at him timidly, still a tad embarrassed from the argument between him and Julie.

"Well..., that was fun." she joked. Kuon scoffed and rolled his eyes with a pout.

"I'm sorry she said so many embarrassing things." he grumbled. "Mom is used to being around... much less reserved people. The modeling world doesn't really have very many boundaries, especially in all the places she goes. Even when I was a kid, I would hear far more than I wanted to when she was with her friends. I'll tell you now, preschoolers don't really enjoy hearing all about lingerie, nip-slips, or riding underwear from their mother." he made a face at what was likely a memory of such an instance. Kyoko felt a little better after hearing that, giggling a bit at Kuon's obvious discomfort.

"Well, thank you for defending my current fashion choice. Um... do you mind if I ask what you think about what she said?" She blushed and fidgeted lightly. "Th-that is... do you think I really might look good in clothes that show off my figure that way?" she asked timidly. Kuon turned his head to look at her more fully, eyes wide as he wet his lips quickly with his tongue and swallowed audibly.

"I think you look downright beautiful in just about anything, Kyoko. But... mom does have a point, unfortunately. She's not a big figure in the modeling world for nothing. She knows her stuff when it comes to fashion. If you were to wear the styles that she picks out for you, it would definitely show off your more... um... sexually appealing traits." he explains, looking away as his own cheeks tinted a soft pink. Kyoko hummed lightly and slowly maneuvered herself until she was laying next to him on the floor, reaching out shyly and slowly grab his hand. He turned back to look at her, joy and curiosity swirling together in his gaze. Kyoko released his hand and slowly slid it up his arm, trying to convey that she wasn't pulling away but realizing as she was doing it how sexual it could come off. She pushed the thought in the back of her mind as she rested her hand on his cheek, staring into his deep brown eyes.

"Can you take out your contacts?" she asks softly. Kuon stared at her for a moment, the silent stretching between them before he softly replied.

"Okay...." He sat up and walked into his bathroom, Kyoko crawling up onto the couch as she waited for him to return. When he emerged and sat next to her, she instantly felt drawn to stare into his eyes again, her smile widening as she gazed into the deep green. She reached up and traced his eyebrows, sliding her finger around and to his cheekbones and he leaned in and rest his forehead against hers, gazing deeply into her amber eyes. "Kyoko," he murmured, getting a soft hum from her in response, "I love you." her responding blush made him chuckle and he leaned in.  "Now, I do believe I was promised more kisses after dinner." he stated, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Kyoko chewed her lip and nodded against him, letting out a soft hum as he shifted and captured her lips with his own. This time when he put his hands on her hips, she was acutely aware of it. Mother Julie had pointed out that they were sexually appealing to men, and now she was realizing just how often Kuon put his hands there. She gasped into the kiss and felt herself being pushed backward as he covered her body with his own, his hands gripping just a little tighter.

"Are... are my hips really that nice?" she gasped out between kisses. Kuon faltered, slowly looking up at her with a conflicted look on his face.

"You're hips are wonderful Kyoko, but I'm holding them so I don't try to touch you somewhere you're less comfortable with." he explains. Instantly, a thousand indecent thoughts flooded her mind and her body heated up significantly.

"O-oh...." was all she could get out.

"Do you want me to stop?" He asked, looking a bit worried now. Kyoko quickly shook her head.

"No! I just... I don't know... if I _want_ you to hold back." she admitted timidly. Kuon's gaze darkened into full emperor-of-the-night mode.

"Kyoko... I _guarantee_ that you want me to hold back. The things I could do to you." he closed his eyes and let out a long breath through his nose. "That is definitely something you want to be as special as possible. I promise you this though," he looked back up at her again with those magical green eyes as he reached up and cradled her face in one hand, "When I finally let go and give you everything..., It will be the most special experience I could possibly make it. I want to wait, though. I want to revel in this time, where our relationship is still just a bit innocent. Once we go past that point... I don't think I'll be able to go back, so I want to savor holding you and kissing you. I want to go slow and take everything in so I don't miss a single little piece of this time with you." Kyoko nodded silently, overflowing with emotion as she listened to him. She had known sex was a thing, but for some reason she hadn't considered the possibility that he already wanted her _that much_.

"But well... we can still touch..., right?" she asked timidly. A passionate fire burned in his eyes as he leaned again.

"Most definitely," the emperor purred.

 

* * *

 

 

"So... can I ask what had upset father on the call earlier? We were talking about your eating habits, and then he looked so... pained about it." Kyoko asked softly as she lay cuddled up to Kuon on the couch. He let out a heavy sigh and nodded as he pet her cheek lightly, as if drawing support from the little touch.

"Mom was away for work at the time, but... right before I came to Japan, I had a time when I just kind of... shut down. I wouldn't eat. I wouldn't sleep. I wouldn't _move_. I imagine it must have been really difficult for dad to see me like that." he admitted. Kyoko looked worried, her eyes flickering over his face and he tried to give her a reassuring smile. "I don't really know how long I was like that, but I know that long periods without food can effect a person's appetite. It's one of the reasons that people with a history of eating disorders have to be watched so carefully. I don't really consider myself as having a problem with it..., but the fact does remain that I'm affected by it. You being here, caring about me and making sure I eat properly..., It means more than you know. Thank you. Thank you for being here. Thank you for caring about me." His arms tightened around her and smooshed her into his chest. She didn't mind it too much. It was clear that Kuon had been starving for emotional support for some time, and she could definitely relate to that. Wanting to help him as much as she could, she hugged him tightly back, smiling as she felt his own grip relax a bit.

"What... That is... is it okay for me to ask what caused you to go into that state?" she asked slowly. Kuon's breath hitched and she felt him freeze. "Kuon?" she called out, her voice soft.

"I... I don't want you to leave me." he sounded so small, so scared. Kyoko stared at his shirt quietly for a moment, gathering her resolve.

"I won't leave you."

"You will. You will once you know that I'm a monster... that I...." his hands shook as they clung to her. He should tell her. She deserves to know. She has the right to know what a monster he was before she got too deep. "He had such a bright future ahead of him, people that loved him, a woman that wanted to be with him and start a life together. They were so happy, and I just had to come and destroy all of it. I... I can still hear her screaming at me sometimes, when I'm alone, in my dreams, when I played Cain and Black Jack. I killed him. He was my best friend, my _only_ friend, and I... I took every last thing from him, like a parasite draining the life of a host until there's nothing left." His whole body was shaking as he clung to her, and Kyoko stayed silent as she clung to his shirt. She could feel her hair was wet, but she wasn't sure if he wanted her to look up and see him right now. No one liked being seen at their most vulnerable. All she could do was be here for him. She pulled herself flush against him, tangling their legs together in the process as she mulled over the new information. It made sense yet didn't at the same time. It certainly explained some of the things about him, but he was so shaken up about it that she just couldn't see him as a killer. Even if he was... she was having a hard time thinking poorly of him. Maybe this was part of being in love, turning a blind eye to confessions even as horrendous as this, or maybe it was something else, she didn't know. On top of Kuon's obvious guilt and shame..., he said this person he killed was his friend.

She could feel the tremors in his body subsiding, and she started stroking his back slowly in reassurance. Even if she was having trouble understanding it all, she needed to show him that she was still here, that she wasn't going to let this push her away. She wondered if maybe this is why he told her before that he didn't deserve love. He tore away the life of someone that had so much love, so much to look forward to in the future, and he had taken it away somehow. She imagined that this friend of his hadn't been the only one that died that day. From what she could piece together, it sounded like Kuon had also died that day, killing himself slowly from the inside out. She clung to his shirt as she recalled his confession of associating Japan as 'good' because of her, and she suddenly felt glad that she had been so distraught to go running into the trees like that, to meet him and leave that impression on him all those years ago. They had been miserable, torn apart, crushed, broken, but those broken pieces had been what allowed them to heal one another, to bring the other hope in the darkest of times.

"Kuon," she spoke up softly and she felt him tense in her arms again, "I'm still here. See? I told you I would be." Kuon held her tightly again and she felt tears pouring into her hair again.

"You're too good for me."

"No, I'm just right for you. I think my broken pieces fit perfectly between yours." she said, a smile pulling at her lips as she heard a small broken laugh from the man.

"I suppose I can accept that."

 

* * *

 

"Big sister!" Maria squealed happily as she ran to meet Kyoko, jumping into the older girl's arms happily. Today was reserved as a play date, though Ren had two short jobs early in the morning and would be joining them shortly. "What do you want to play today? Grandfather is dressed up in some kind of weird poofy thing." The girl crinkled her nose as the man in question approached them.

"For your information, this is authentic renaissance fashion from Europe's 1520s." he corrected somewhat haughtily. Kyoko giggled and shook her head.

"I don't think I'll be following his costume theme today." Kyoko told Maria who looked quite relieved at that.

"That's good, I don't really want to see Ren-sama in such a ridiculous outfit either." the young girl stated as she scowled at the thought.

"I wouldn't be caught dead in such a dated fashion trend." Ren stated as he walked up. Lory looked positively offended as he spun on his heal and marched off, grumbling about the lack of culture from the trio. Maria gleefully asked to be passed over to Ren, giggling as the two adults complied.

"You look really happy today, Ren-sama. Did you sleep well?" she asked happily. Ren glanced over to a softly smiling Kyoko, a smiling pulling at his own lips at the sight of her shining radiance.

"Better than I have in a long time." he said, quietly wondering if she would be willing to sleep in his bed with him again. He was aware he had gotten a bit handsy in the morning, but she hadn't jumped out of his arms and screamed at him, so maybe she might even have liked it a bit? He cleared his throat and stuffed his hands in his pants as he looked away, trying not to recall the soft flesh he had felt in his hands that morning. He was so busy trying to compose himself that he missed the way Kyoko thoughtfully glanced down at his motion. "So then, what are you wanting to play today, Maria?" he asked, distracting them from the topic of his sleep.

"We were just talking about that!" the innocent young girl chirped. "Following Grandfather's theme is out of the question, but maybe we can be pirates! Or assassins!" Ren looked over to Kyoko who was looking back at him with concern. Reassuring her, he gave a soft smile.

"I think either one would be fun to try acting." Kyoko smiled quietly. Message loud and clear. We're good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! I hope this was an adequate end to this story. I hope I wrapped things up in a satisfactory manner, but let me know if I left any questions unanswered. I wonder how people will take Ren/Kuon's confession to the death of his friend. I read a lot of fanfictions where people desperately want to resolve this issue and have Kyoko assure him that it's not his fault, but as someone with experience with trauma and self-blame... you don't really recount these things with a lot of detail. When you confess to someone what you are blaming yourself for, you end up telling them what you tell yourself over and over. Kuon's situation is very complex, so it would be difficult for him to explain it all in one go. This is the kind of thing that takes time to slowly peel apart. I'm sure he and Kyoko will have a more in-depth conversation about it later, but that wasn't the focus of this story so I didn't think I should go too deeply into it. This story is about three people that are given a chance to be the children they weren't really allowed to be before. This is about healing old wounds and coming to terms with their past and who they are. I hope you enjoyed reading, and I hope you leave a comment on your impressions. Thank you. :)


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